


our castle under the sea

by PetitSkittles



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Beach Sex, Child Abuse, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kim Mingyu-centric, M/M, Multi, Smut, lesbians!!!!, more pairings but its mostly meanie so i didnt put more, okay i lied the lesbians are important so imma add the tag, they do the do on the beach like ONCE but still
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-06-29 10:49:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15727875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetitSkittles/pseuds/PetitSkittles
Summary: Being part of a cruise, Wonwoo's only thoughts revolved around the sea and the wonderful animals inhabiting it. Until the last stop at a small village, where he meets Mingyu, a local boy who shows him the beauty and wonders of friendship and love. But as they fall deeper, they come to realize that the road to happiness is seldom devoid of obstacles and pain.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is quite short, but i promise the next chapters will be longer (and better)! it's not beta-ed yet and i'm writting this past midnight, so there will probably be a few typos, i'll make sure to change that later :)
> 
> mingyu will be in the next chapter, promise (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)
> 
> (Swanny_Writer wrote the summary! Go read This Heart of Yours, it's WonHui but the plot and her writing style are amazing!)

The first time Jeon Wonwoo sees a whale, he’s smaller than Soonyoung and the pictures in the book his mom just gave him seem like the most interesting thing he ever saw. When the boys ask their kindergarten teacher about whales, he sighs and tells them they’ll never see a real one, not unless they go somewhere else. The city they live in may be close to the ocean, but whales don’t go there.

         That night, Wonwoo cries himself to sleep, his tiny arms keeping his book close to his chest. Soonyoung is small, but his heart isn’t and he promises his best friend he’ll do everything he can to help him see a real whale.

         Then, they grow up and Wonwoo gets a cat. He doesn’t forget about the whales.

 

“Soonyoung, you’re my best friend, but if I leave Lulu alone with you, I’ll never see him again.”

         “Come on, I’m not that bad.”

         “For the sake of our friendship, I won’t say anything.”

         Soonyoung starts whining and Wonwoo stops caring. Honestly, he does want to accept his best friend’s offer and leave for a few days. He needs to think about something else than work. However, he refuses to leave his precious baby with Soonyoung.

         “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not leaving,” he says with a smile, dropping the subject and taking his cup to finish his coffee.

         “What about whales?”

         Wonwoo isn’t a kid anymore; he’s an adult and owns the company his dad left him. He’s far from the child with eyes full of dreams he used to be… but he still loves whales.

         (Soonyoung is kind enough to act as if he doesn’t know about the big whale poster on his bedroom’s wall and Wonwoo will never feel grateful enough for it.)

         “What kind of whales?”

         “I don’t know, I’m not obsessed with them like you! I went there last summer for a business trip and we saw one so close we could have touched it if we wanted to.”

         Soonyoung tells him how he immediately thought about sending Wonwoo there, but all the young man can think about is whales. He doesn’t love them as much as he used to, but it’s summer, everything’s going well and he can perfectly leave for a few days… it would be a shame to refuse Soonyoung’s offer, especially knowing his friend probably already planned the whole trip.

         “Well, I guess I could go… it’s only for a few days, right?”

         Soonyoung smiles so widely his eyes disappear and Wonwoo doesn’t feel nervous anymore… except for one thing.

         “If Lulu dies, your sexuality won’t be the only reason why you can’t have kids.”

 

It’s a cruise.

         Wonwoo just got out of the airport and he has a message from Soonyoung: his friend Jihoon is waiting for him beside his car and he’ll give him a ride to the port.

         “You didn’t tell me about that,” Wonwoo complains as soon as he’s sitting in the car, phone against his ear.

         “I know, sorry for the secret, but it was too tempting. I helped you pack, so you don’t have to worry about your things. You have everything you’ll need and if something’s missing, you can just buy it.”

         Wonwoo sighs. He isn’t annoyed because of the cruise, he just doesn’t like that Soonyoung planned something like that without telling him.

         “Trust me, Nonu. Everything will be fine, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

         “Ah, stop calling me like that, we’re not kids anymore!”

         “Says the one who’s leaving his country to see whales,” Soonyoung teases him and Wonwoo swears he can hear his smile. “I have to go now. Jihoon’s the best, you won’t get lost! He went on the ship with me, just ask him if you have questions. Have fuuuun!”

         Soonyoung’s voice leaves him and so does Wonwoo’s stress. He’ll be okay.

         He still feels good when he goes in the ship. His room is nice and most of the passengers don’t understand Korean. Of course, he could switch to English, but he doesn’t really like to socialize. Also, his accent is weird and he prefers not to use English unless he has to. He hates feeling out of place – kind of ironic for a gay man – and the way some people suddenly start talking to him as if he was a child.

         He learns about Seungkwan, the friend Seokmin can’t wait to see at one of the places they’ll go. Apparently, Seokmin also knows Soonyoung, which doesn’t surprise him: Soonyoung is probably one of the nicest people on Earth and he talks to pretty much everyone and their mother on social media.

         “So when Soonyoung-hyung told me about this cruise, I immediately bought a ticket so I could go and see Seungkwan too. And you, why are you here?”

         Wonwoo only catches the last sentence, unable to focus on what his new friend is saying – his smile is so _big_ – and trying not to be too awkward, too… Wonwoo.

         “I… am here for the whales,” he says, looking anywhere except in Seokmin’s eyes.

         He can feel his face slowly turn red. It’s embarrassing, he’s not a kid anymore.

         Seokmin doesn’t mind. Wonwoo doesn’t think he’s the kind to judge people, the kid probably can’t have any negative thought. It doesn’t mean he’s blind though, and Seokmin notices his embarrassment.

         “Ah, that’s cool! You’re not the only one, you know. A lot of people come here for the animals, the plants and all that nature stuff.”

         “How do you know that?”

         “You would know it too if you listened,” Seokmin teases him and Wonwoo can see why Soonyoung befriended him. “The nice lady in charge of the activities talked about it.”

         Talking with Seokmin is easy, but Wonwoo wants to sleep. Getting used to the constant rocking of the ship is tiring, so he excuses himself and goes back to his room.


	2. chapitre un

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m Kim Mingyu, by the way. Well, I use Mingyu Kim here, as you can see on my badge, but my birth certificate shows Kim Mingyu. Nice to meet you both, it feels great to finally talk to other Koreans.”  
> “Jeon Wonwoo,” the quiet one says, his voice louder than Mingyu thought it would be.  
> And holy shit that’s a deep voice. His black hair looks soft and Mingyu briefly wonders how it would be to run his fingers in it before taking that thought back because _what the fuck_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for making their age gap bigger than it is (it's only by a few years, don't worry), but being a ceo at 22yo sounds a bit weird and i needed mingyu to be 21yo! hope you won't get too confused (・∀・｀；)

Mingyu’s thighs burn. His bicycle’s brakes don’t work since a car tried to kill him, but he really needs to go faster, so he accelerates and just prays he doesn’t become a pancake.

         He leaves his bicycle at the hospital and runs, nearly falling because of his tired legs that can’t stop shaking. Across the street, his grandmother notices him and keeps the door open.

         “Tired?”

         “Watching Marvel movies all night was a bad idea,” he whines. “Doyeon refused to let me sleep.”

         She smiles and follows him upstairs. As lame as it sounds, Mingyu loves the red shirt they all have to wear. It’s not just the color being his favorite, it’s also knowing he’s at work, he’s safe. He can’t really get hurt – except for his legs and feet since he has to spend the whole day walking in the two streets his boss gave him – and he doesn’t have to try to ignore the house’s awkward ambiance. He never succeeds anyway. The tension is there, the feeling of danger, making it impossible to forget why he never sleeps with his door open.

         (Also, the shirt smells like caramel and marshmallows.)

         Mingyu’s job is simple and he gets free cloudberry tea from the nice lady in charge of the stand. That’s the answer he gives when one of his coworkers ask him why he’s working there when he could have stayed in town and worked there. They laugh and Mingyu walks away. He’s anything but a good liar.

         Not that it would matter if he decides to tell the truth. No one believed him before, the other guide surely wouldn’t be the first. They’re not even close, Mingyu just knows he used to be his brother’s friend. Mingyu hates his brother, but the guide is nice and doesn’t mind talking to him while they wait for the ship or when they’re eating muffins and Timbits upstairs.

         The boy – at twenty-one, he should probably think of himself as a man, but the title sounds too heavy, too serious, and he definitely doesn’t feel like anything but vulnerable and scared – takes a bunch of maps in his bag and smiles, ready to welcome the cruise passengers. It’s simple, all he has to do is smile, welcomes them in Korean, English and the village’s language before handing them a map and hoping they won’t ignore him. Seriously, that’s fucking rude and he always feels a bit hurt.

         Most passengers just smile at him before taking a map from his coworker. Sadly, only a few people speak Korean so he always gets bored after the first hour. He remembers noticing Joshua’s name on the schedule, so he’ll probably talk to his friend as soon as the passengers leave to explore the boring place that he likes – not really, no – to call home. Joshua isn’t from the village, he’s just spending a few weeks there to visit Mingyu, who got him a job so he could make a bit of money – flying from America to there isn’t free – and so the two friends could spend more time together.

         Mingyu still can’t believe someone is willing to spend so much money to waste their summer in a place like this. The village and the islands are as beautiful as the people are ugly.

         At least Joshua is luckier than him. Since most passengers are fluent in English or know some words, he doesn’t waste his time waiting for people to talk to him like Mingyu. He still has a problem: a few people only see his eyes and assume he only knows an Asian language, so they go ask the white man instead. Joshua jokes about it and Mingyu laughs. Everything is better when he isn’t alone, even laughing about things that usually make him feel like shit is easier when he’s with Joshua or Doyeon.

         But this time, it’s different. Mingyu is a bit surprised to see two Asian men walk towards him, one showing him a smile and the other looking all around him. He’s even more surprised to see them stop. Usually, people grab a map and keep walking.

         “Hi! Do you know Korean? English?”

         Now that the passengers are closer, Mingyu can see how young the smiling one looks. He’s probably as young as him, but it’s none of his business and he doesn’t want to ask and risk losing that smile. The other seems a bit older and Mingyu thinks about how unfair it is that some people can look so tired yet so handsome.

         “Both, but Korean is easier,” he says, feeling the familiar words rolling on his tongue. He missed it. Doyeon still isn’t fluent and Joshua prefers English, so it’s been a while since he had a real discussion with someone. Talking to himself to make sure he doesn’t forget it isn’t the same.

         “Great! I’m Lee Seokmin, I’m here to see Boo Seungkwan, do you know him?”

         Mingyu does. The village really isn’t big, everyone knows everyone and their mother (and their grandparents, and their cousins, and the embarrassing thing their grand-grandfather did when he was a child). Also, the Asian kids tend to stay together. Less xenophobic jokes, you know.

         “Yeah, he’s one of my best friends. Actually, I think he even mentioned you once or twice. I can call him or walk you to his house, it would only take a few minutes.”

         Seokmin grins.

         “Walking us to his house would be great, I’d like to surprise him. You know, make him jump so he doesn’t dare to turn his back on me while I’ll be here.”

         Seokmin’s tone somehow makes him sound less creepy and Mingyu decides he likes him. The other one didn’t talk yet, but it’s okay. As much as Mingyu likes to talk, he understands it can be different for others. He still feels rude for basically ignoring him, so he smiles.

         “I’m Kim Mingyu, by the way. Well, I use Mingyu Kim here, as you can see on my badge, but my birth certificate shows Kim Mingyu. Nice to meet you both, it feels great to finally talk to other Koreans.”

         “Jeon Wonwoo,” the quiet one says, his voice louder than Mingyu thought it would be.

         And holy shit that’s a deep voice. His black hair looks soft and Mingyu briefly wonders how it would be to run his fingers in it before nearly taking that thought back because _what the fuck_.

         “Aw, awnsome as name,” he stutters because he’s fucking dumb and also super gay.

         No one comments the word that doesn’t even exist – or the sentence that doesn’t make any sense – and he starts walking before someone does. Mingyu will be Mingyu, but he’ll still do his best to try to leave a good impression. If he doesn’t break anyone’s phone _again_ (or trip while he’s just standing, or choke on his saliva, or anything Mingyu’s expected to do), he’ll consider it a success.

         (If he embarrasses himself again, he’ll just change his name to Théodémir and move to France. Théodémir is an ugly name, but so is The8 and Mingyu didn’t say anything when Minghao started using it as a watermark on his photos.)

         “How did you meet Seungkwan?”

         Seokmin starts talking and seems to be unable to stop. Mingyu really doesn’t mind, he likes it when he’s not the only one rambling and tripping on his words – though Seokmin’s pronunciation is better than is and he doesn’t have to stop to repeat his sentence – but Wonwoo stops him:

         “Social media.”

         “That’s cool! I met a friend through Twitter, he’s from America.”

         Wonwoo doesn’t say anything else, he just keeps walking without looking at any of the two boys. Mingyu isn’t offended, he knows Wonwoo isn’t ignoring him. He may not look at him, but he nods and he smiles when Mingyu shares a funny story about Seungkwan. His smile was small and didn’t last for more than a second, but Mingyu likes it. He wonders how a laughing Wonwoo would look.

         Then he decides that’s too gay, even for him. He can already hear his cousin yelling about how nothing is too gay and he usually agrees, but he just met the guy. Maybe it’s like Doyeon and her love for celebrities she never talked to, maybe it’s just him being stupid.

         Seungkwan’s house is nice. It’s small, but Mingyu always feels safe in it and his friend’s parents treat him as their second son. They even buy him gifts for his birthday and Christmas. It makes him warm inside and he likes that. The Boo family has this little something that can make everyone comfortable with them. Seungkwan’s mother once said Mingyu was their son since he had that something too and he remembers almost crying. He definitely has a gift for embarrassing himself.

         The Boo’s magic power works on the cruise passengers too. As soon as they enter the house, they’re both charmed by the decoration and Wonwoo pauses to look at the family picture. Mingyu frowns.

         “Guys, the surprise?” he whispers, pointing a blue door. “That’s Seungkwan’s room.”

 

Seungkwan’s ability to organize a movie night while plotting Seokmin’s death amazes Mingyu.

         “Gyu, leave me the blankets, I’ll take care of it. Go make popcorn.”

         Seungkwan enjoys bossing everyone around and Mingyu’s okay with that. He likes when people tell him what to do. It’s easier to do everything like they want and no one gets mad at him. He hates when someone assumes they don’t have to explain him how something works just because he’s smart and has good grades only to get mad at him when he messes up.

         “Should we call the others?” Mingyu asks as Seungkwan takes the fluffy blankets from him.

         “No, they’re busy. I don’t really know what they’re doing, I think Minghao took Junhui on a friendly date and the others… Seungcheol and Jeonghan are preparing something for Joshua, we have to keep him busy. Chan is in town, he’ll be back tomorrow.”

         Of course, the “friendly” date is anything but friendly. They just can’t openly call it a date, but the two boys certainly didn’t choose to stay home – a night Minghao’s parents aren’t there – to play Scrabble and have some friendly talk. Mingyu has no idea what’s going on with Jeonghan, Seungcheol and Joshua and he’s not sure he wants to know.

         Joshua and Seokmin argue about the movie they want to watch before agreeing to watch both. Mingyu’s glad it’s over. With Joshua being Joshua, he expected him to be nice but it’s a surprise to learn Seokmin is (almost) as kind as him. The argument turned into a “we will watch _your_ movie and don’t you dare try to give up on it because we will not watch mine” thing and it’s getting boring. Seungkwan is putting blankets and pillows literally everywhere in the room and Wonwoo waits for his favorite guide – that was a joke – in the kitchen. Someone knocks at the door and Seungkwan almost teleports from the living room to the door, opening it before his parents can see the mess in their house.

         “Hi! My friend from Korea is here, is it okay if the gang spends the night here?”

         Wonwoo recognizes the word “gang” and raises an eyebrow at Mingyu, who whispers about it being a word they use to describe a group of close friends. They aren’t a real gang, Mingyu cries for every moose the hunters bring back, he’d never be able to survive in some mafia organization.

         “Oh! Of course, sweetie, we’ll be at the Lee house. Is Cherry with you?”

         Saying that no, “she” isn’t there sounds weird and Mingyu is grateful Seungkwan takes care of it. He hates hiding things from his other family, he still can’t use female pronouns without wincing and feeling like apologizing.

         Seungkwan quickly drops the Cherry subject and asks about the girls. As soon as Mingyu hears they have the permission to invite Doyeon, Nayoung and Jieqiong, the popcorn bags are in Wonwoo’s hands and the phone is in his. He barely saw Jieqiong and Nayoung, the two girls spending a big part of their summer vacation in a camp for cheerleaders. Junhui decided to stay, for Minghao. They’re cute. It’s sad they can’t openly go on a date, though.

         When the phone is back on the table, the taller of the two boys look at Wonwoo. The latter is only smaller by a few centimeters, but now, popcorn bags held close to his chest like a shield, he seems small and lost and Mingyu wants to make him sit on the couch and wrap him with Seungkwan’s fluffiest blanket. He knows how scary it can be, being alone with a group of strangers who are close to each other. He hates feeling out of place and he guesses that’s something he shares with Wonwoo.

         “Sorry, I should have asked you if you preferred to go wait on the couch. You’re a guest, you shouldn’t have to help me,” Mingyu chuckles, more to start a conversation than make Wonwoo go to the living room.

         “Ah, it’s okay. I don’t mind, I’m just… still a bit surprised I got accepted as soon as the others saw me.”

         “You’re Seokmin’s friend, we weren’t going to keep him and make you leave. I know it’s not the city, but we can be civilized too!”

         Mingyu’s joke was horrible, but Wonwoo’s tiny smile is back.

         “I just met Seokmin… you really shouldn’t let strangers in your house. That’s dangerous.”

         “What’s the worst they could do, kill me?”

         “That would be a pity.”

         Wonwoo blushes and tries to take his words back until Mingyu’s hand gets on his mouth, shutting him up. Before he can start to lick it, the younger boy smiles.

         “Thanks.”

         He takes the popcorn and puts a bag in the microwave. They make popcorn in silence, a comfortable one, until the girls finally open the door.

         “This one goes in the pink bowl, I’ll be back!” Mingyu says as he leaves, almost running to get to the girls. “I’ll bring the others with me!”

         Doyeon screams and jumps on him as if they didn’t spend the last night together. For as long as he remembers, Kim Doyeon has always been a cuddle monster and he’s more than okay with that. His cousin is taller than most of the other girls, but in his arms, she feels small and as soft and fluffy as the plushies she absolutely adores. She even gave him the name of her shampoo after he commented on how good her hair smelled and how soft it was.

         “Oh my God, I missed you soooooo much!”

         He hugs her back. She smells like smoke – the one from fire, not from cigarettes – and burned marshmallows.

         “You saw me this morning. You girls had a campfire without me?”

         “We make sure to leave some marshmallows for you, big baby.” Nayoung laughs, throwing the bag at him. “You’re welcome.”

         “They’re not melted…”

         “Microwaves are a thing.”

         “It’s not the same thing!”

         Campfire marshmallows are way better than normal ones. They’re a little crusty outside and melted inside. They taste like heaven and are a reminder he’s sitting on the beach, his friends laughing around him. Yeah, he’s cheesy like that.

         But normal marshmallows? He hates it and the girls know.

         “Oh my God!” He hears Jieqiong squeal as she enters the kitchen. “Did you finally get a boyfriend?”

         “What the fuck, you never told me anything about a boyfriend.”

         “Nah, that’s Wonwoo, he’s a client. You know, from the cruise. He’s here with Seokmin, Seungkwan’s virtual friend. They’re both from Korea.”

         They all join Jieqiong in the kitchen, Doyeon’s arm around Mingyu’s. People often mistake them as a couple, which is absolutely disgusting, but they joke about it.

         “Why isn’t anyone concerned about the stranger standing in the kitchen,” Wonwoo sighs, rolling his eyes. “You guys are seriously weird.”

         “And it only took you five seconds to realize it, you’re smart.” Jieqiong grins and takes Nayoung’s hand. “I’m Jieqiong, Chinese. Nayoung, this girl, is Korean like everyone here except for Joshua – he’s American – but we were born here, so they’re not Korean by nationality like you. Our parents came here for their jobs, not everyone knows Korean or Mandarin but we’re all fluent in English, not everyone celebrates the same holidays as you, I personally only eat Chinese food at the restaurant, bla bla bla.”

         “These are the replies from all the questions we usually get,” Doyeon says when she notices Wonwoo’s face. “I guess you already know we’re not all related to each other and we can date people who aren’t Asian. I’m Doyeon, Mingyu’s cousin.”

         “Stop bothering him, he’ll probably forget your name in three seconds anyway. The movie is ready, by the way.”

         Doyeon immediately leaving her cousin for Seungkwan, the group move to the living room. They all have their place so Mingyu feels bad for Wonwoo, who clearly doesn’t have social skills as good as Seokmin and can’t blend in like him. He puts an arm around his cousin’s waist and makes her sit on his lap – she’s used to it anyway – before smiling at the newcomer. Wonwoo understands and sits beside him, the place their friends usually leave to Doyeon.

         “Popcorn?”

         “No, thank you. That’s a lot of people,” Wonwoo comments, hand in the bowl despite what he said.

         “And half the group is missing. You’ll meet them another day, but Chan had to be somewhere else, Seungcheol and Jeonghan are busy, Vernon and Kyla were too tired to come and Minghao and Junhui already planned something.”

         “Vernon and Kyla? Are they Asian?”

         “Vernon is half white, he has the same father as Seungcheol. I’d say they get along like real brothers, but seeing the relationship I have with mine, that can’t be true. Please don’t make comments about his ethnicity though, it would be rude. Also, don’t compare him to Leonardo DiCaprio, he hates it. Kyla is Korean too and she’s everyone’s little sister. Seriously, you can’t not love her.”

         Mingyu likes to talk. Once he’s with the good person, he can talk for hours without getting bored or running out of things to say. His friends are one of his favorite subjects, he knows stories, weird facts, everything interesting that can be said about them. That’s embarrassing, especially since it’s late and his three braincells can’t work for shit when they’re tired. He’ll probably rant and look like an idiot, but that’s something he should be used to now.

         “Oh and Seungcheol is everyone’s big brother but he can also be your younger sibling, that’s really weird. He’s more like Vernon’s best friend than his actual brother, it’s like he adopted Chan and gave Vernon to Joshua instead. Everyone is overprotective of Chan by the way, the kid is adorable.”

         Before he can go on and wake up wanting to jump off the dock hoping a whale will kill him if he doesn’t drown, Seungkwan throws popcorn at him because even if he absolutely adores Mingyu, he wants to know what the fuck the characters are saying.

         After the first movie, Wonwoo quietly gets out of the room. Mingyu follows him and despite the look Seungkwan is giving him, it’s only to get away from his cousin, who decided that pinching his thighs was more interesting than the masterpiece that is Howl’s Moving Castle. The room is full and the body heat is becoming too much, a bit of fresh air would be great.

         “Sorry, I guess meeting all these people at once was a bit overwhelming,” Mingyu apologizes as soon as he sees Wonwoo standing on the balcony.

         “Don’t say you’re sorry, it’s not your fault. I’m just… not used to this. I don’t have a lot of friends in Korea.”

         “Koreans don’t know what they’re missing.”

         That was very gay and Mingyu wants to die. He didn’t mean to sound so… flirty. He just wanted to make his new friend (?) feels better.

         “Sarcasm doesn’t suit you.” Wonwoo shrugs, fingers on the railing and eyes on the sea. “I know I’m not fun to be around.”

         “Okay, this is getting way too sad and I’m supposed to be in a happy mood. It’s summer, remember? You paid for that cruise, you should enjoy it or it would be a waste of money.”

         Wonwoo laughs at that, not for long, but he still laughs. Mingyu considers it a challenge: he’ll make him smile and laugh for real before he leaves.

         “Actually, my friend’s the one who paid for it.”

         “Your friend really spends all that money to send you on a cruise? You’re either funnier to be around than you think or so boring they wanted you gone.”

         Wonwoo leans against the railing, facing Mingyu.

         “What do you think?”

         This sounds like Wonwoo’s flirting with him and that’s a big no. They just met, Mingyu really can’t let himself fall in love with someone who won’t stay with him for more than three weeks. He’d prefer if Wonwoo turned to be like all the celebrities he has a crush on: impossible to get and straighter than Minghao’s back.

         Luckily, the other doesn’t wait for his reply:

         “Neither, to be honest. Soonyoung knows how much I love whales and it’s impossible for me to see one where I live.”

         Now _that’s_ something Mingyu can work with. Everyone in the village has seen a whale at least once and he’s no exception. After spending his days on the beach or working, he became so used to whales he doesn’t react anymore when he sees one. As a child, he used to love them and he didn’t forget what he read about them.

         “Oh, that’s great! Trust me, it’s impossible to be here without seeing one. Last year, a baby swam in the…” Mingyu searches for the word, which isn’t one he uses a lot in Korean, and gives up. “Sorry, I don’t know the word for it in Korean. It’s the place where the boats are, it’s a kind of circle, but not complete so we can go in and out. The baby was swimming in it, it was so close we could see it perfectly and I could have touched it if I wanted to.”

         Wonwoo frowns and he quickly adds that no, he didn’t touch the whale, he knows how sensitive their skin is.

         “Ah, I’m glad. I didn’t want the baby to be hurt.” The Korean seems genuinely happy and Mingyu understands why his friend bought him these tickets. “Do you think it will happen again?”

         “Probably not, but it means less chances to see a whale get hurt. That’s a good thing, right?”

         “I guess…”

         Sadness doesn’t look good on Wonwoo. Sadness doesn’t look good on anyone. Mingyu hates it, hates the way the sparkles in Wonwoo’s eyes died, hates the way some people try to smile to hide how they’re affected, hates knowing he can’t do anything to make it better. For Wonwoo and his whales, it’s different: he can bring the sparkles back. He can also take something from it, take time.

         “There’s a museum, one about whales. It’s great, I visited it twice. I’m sure you’d love it. We’d have to go on the road for about an hour, but the museum is worth it.”

         “You’d take an absolute stranger in your car for an hour?”

         Wonwoo’s right, he’s a stranger. Mingyu only knows his name, not even his age. He can only try to guess his favourite color, what he likes to eat, everything that wouldn’t make him a stranger.

         He smiles, eyes in Wonwoo’s.

         “If you kill me, that’s fate. I don’t mind taking you there, I’m just trying to be friendly. It must be hard, from Korea to a place like this village. The culture is different, the language too, I just don’t want you to get uncomfortable.” Mingyu isn’t as good as convincing people as Jeonghan and Joshua, but he’s doing his best and Wonwoo’s love for whales will do the rest. “Look, I did the same for Minghao when he came from China. I’m trying to help, there’s no trap.”

         “It sounds great… but aren’t you working?”

         “We can go when I’ll have a free day. It doesn’t bother me to go to the museum with you, if that’s what makes you worried! I’m the one who offered it, I didn’t go this year anyway.”

         With a free day and someone to avoid, he’ll gladly spend two hours on the road with a stranger. After these hours, Wonwoo won’t be a stranger anyway. They’ll probably talk and Mingyu will learn his taste in music and maybe even his favourite song.

         Doyeon slams the door behind her and teases him about already going on a first date. Mingyu’s glad Wonwoo doesn’t understand their language, that would have been so embarrassing.

         “I can’t believe you’re planning to go to the museum without me,” she whines, exactly like Mingyu did to the girls before.

         “You ate marshmallows on a campfire without me.”

         “Alright, point taken,” his cousin laughs, “we won’t do it again. You’re going to the island with us tomorrow?”

         “You want me to?”

         “Of course, Nayoung and Jieqiong will probably save each other if we sink and we all know Seungkwan would start panicking and drown before me.”

         “I’ll be there, don’t worry about drowning. You’re a better swimmer than me anyway.” Mingyu finally gets his attention back on Wonwoo. “Wanna come?”

         He waits for a reply that never comes.

         “Hey, Won?” Doyeon tries. “Someone’s there?”

         “Yeah, yeah, sorry. You two have a good relationship, it’s adorable.”

         “Thanks, I feel like we’re twins, separated at birth. So, you’re coming with us or no? I have to tell Jieqiong if there’s another passenger.”

         “Whales,” Mingyu whispers and there are the sparkles.

         “Of course, thank you for the invitation.”

         Seungkwan yells at them to come inside.

 

Mingyu totally didn’t read Wonwoo’s entire Wikipedia page, of course not.

         That’s not how he learned his age (26, so older than him by five years) or his profession (CEO… Mingyu feels like his life suddenly turned into one of the fanfics his sister loves to read, always about One Direction or BTS and full of clichés). He’ll have to find a good excuse if Wonwoo – 26 years old CEO – asks him about it, but that’s something he’ll figure out when it’ll happen.

         Doyeon doesn’t care about being subtle and walks to Wonwoo before asking him how it is to be a CEO at such a young age. The cousins don’t know anything about the profession, but the articles Doyeon (they) read about it said it was impressive, especially considering Wonwoo started two years ago. Honestly, just having a job is impressive enough for Mingyu, so his amazement at the older male is understandable.

         Apparently, they’re the only ones to find it cool. Seungkwan is too busy putting safety jackets and lunch boxes in the car to care, Seokmin already knew and the only reaction they get from the girls is a “we’re going to be late” from Nayoung.

         They don’t have a schedule to follow, so it can be interpreted as “I don’t fucking care, get in that car” and they do exactly that. Nayoung may look like the most precious, adorable baby, but she’s terrifying when she gets angry. No one can get between her and her boat… except maybe Jieqiong.

         When Jieqiong stops the car, Wonwoo looks confused, but still follows the others and gets out. Seungkwan tries to explain what the girls (minus Doyeon) are doing, but his English makes it difficult. On the boat, Nayoung guides Jieqiong down until the car’s rear wheels touch the water. Then, Mingyu rushes to help her untie the boat, letting it slide in the water. Jieqiong takes the car back up and joins them, keys in her pocket. Once the girls are in, Mingyu steps on the seat and nearly falls back in the water when Nayoung decides to start the boat as a joke – a dangerous one, if he’s being honest – that gets her a hit from Jieqiong.

         Seungkwan leads the others to the floating dock and Mingyu offers his hand when it’s time to get them on. They’re too heavy for the boat to go to the Small Island, so Wonwoo won’t see the lighthouse, but the CEO (CEO!!) seems rather impressed when Nayoung announces they’re going to the Ghost’s Island. Mingyu still doesn’t know how it got its name, he creates a different story every single time someone asks him and no one realized it yet.

         To Wonwoo’s deception, Jieqiong asks about the Harbor Island instead and Nayoung immediately accepts to change their destination. He doesn’t have time to think about it, though: everyone but him is already on the boat. Mingyu’s hand waits for him.

         “It’s okay, the water isn’t that deep here and I won’t let you fall. Just take my hand and step on the seat.”

         “I don’t want it to get dirty…”

         Jieqiong rolls her eyes at that. They all stepped on it and it’s a _boat_ , it’s meant to get dirty.

         “Come on, princess, we don’t have all day. Don’t worry about the boat, it’s fine. Nothing it’s not used to!”

         Jieqiong’s words could be considered rude from someone who doesn’t know her, even if she meant it as a joke, exactly how she teases Mingyu and pretty much everyone in the group. Wonwoo is someone who doesn’t know her. Mingyu takes his hand so he can get on the boat and forget about Jieqiong’s teasing.

         “I’d like to go to the Ghost’s Island before we leave,” Wonwoo comments, looking at Seokmin. “Do you think that would be possible?”

         “I don’t know, hyung,” the other replies, Mingyu remembering about the honorifics and praying he didn’t say anything disrespectful by forgetting about the basics, “I have no idea how these things work, it’s not like a car. Mingyu?”

         “Maybe you’ll visit the islands with the other passengers. Most cruises have a trip to an island or more included, that’s one of our main attractions so it would be surprising if you don’t go with the cruise at least once. There isn’t much to do here, I really didn’t expect you to stay for so long… hyung.”

         The word feels weird. Mingyu is fluent in Korean, but he usually doesn’t interact with Koreans and his cousin doesn’t care about honorifics. He knows the language, the culture is another thing. His face burns, turning red from embarrassment.

         “You don’t have to use words like that.”

         “But, isn’t it disrespectful if I don’t? I’m really sorry I forgot about it…”

         Doyeon moans, hand in the water.

         “Ah, I forgot about that stuff too! It’s been a while since we used these terms, to be honest… we’re not that ready for Korea, after all.”

         She mumbles something to Nayoung so the older girl can understand what’s going on and gets a laugh in return.

         “You have to memorize three languages, you’re allowed to make mistakes! It’s not that big of a deal, I’m sure people would understand as long as you don’t say anything rude.”

         “Yeah, they’ll forgive you if you give us a tour of the island,” Seungkwan jokes, standing up a second after. “There’s a whale!”

         Forgetting about everything else than the whale, Wonwoo almost throws himself at the other side of the boat and accidently pushes Doyeon. Mingyu catches her as softly as he can, big arms around her small body.

         “And we were worrying about being rude,” she laughs, smiling at the one who nearly threw her overboard. “You really love whales, Wonwoo.”

         “I can’t see it…”

         “Ah, I guess it was the third time.” Seungkwan puts Wonwoo back at his place. “Sorry. Maybe you’ll see one on our way back.”

         “Third time?”

         “That’s something we say about whales here,” Mingyu explains. “Whales rise to the surface three times to breathe, so we have three chances to see them before they go back.”

         “And it’s true?”

         Doyeon takes Nayoung’s bag and whines when Jieqiong takes it from her hands.

         “But I’m hungry!” She lets her friend give it back to the other girl. “I can’t really tell, it works for me, but maybe that’s just a coincidence… sorry. It’s a fun thing to say so I never really bothered to know more about it.”

         Nayoung stops the boat. Wonwoo and Seokmin are wearing shoes instead of boots like the others, so Mingyu simply gets off the ship and offers him his back. He likes to go to the gym at least twice a week and, because of his height and his strength, Doyeon (and all his friends, but mostly her) asks for a piggyback ride almost everyday. Even with Wonwoo being a grown man, Mingyu easily carries him to the sand. When he comes back for Seokmin, the boy – the night before, they talked and he learned Seokmin was only older than him by a few months, so calling him a “boy” doesn’t feel weird – is already in the water, shoes and socks in his hands. Mingyu realizes Wonwoo could have done the same thing and blushes. Hearing Doyeon’s laugh, he guesses the other had the same thoughts – and has the same red face – as him.

         “Me or the bags, Gyu.”

         He chooses the bags and Nayoung starts teasing him about giving a piggyback ride to Wonwoo but refusing to give her one. Of course, it’s a joke and it doesn’t mean anything. After all, Mingyu was ready to help Seokmin too. Maybe all the fanfictions Nayoung reads – and writes, even if she doesn’t want him to know – affect her brain.

         They walk for a bit before Seungkwan decides to sit on the rocks. Jieqiong takes a bag from her friend and uses what’s inside to light a fire. They don’t have marshmallows, but toasting sandwiches is fun and Mingyu doesn’t mind taking care of it.

         Sitting on a rock lower than the others, Doyeon talks to Wonwoo, her voice so loud Mingyu can understand them despite Seungkwan and Seokmin’s conversation. He’s a bit worried about one of them slipping and falling, though.

         When he’s done with the food, Seokmin and Seungkwan joined his cousin and Wonwoo. The girls are having their own conversation, lost in a world made for them and no one else. They’re all smiling, even Wonwoo, who seems more comfortable when Seokmin is with him, and he’d feel bad for interrupting them if Nayoung’s stomach wasn’t making noises he didn’t think a stomach could made.

         “Sorry for the poor meal, we couldn’t really bring caviar to the island.”

         “Stop it, Doyeon… it’s not funny.”

         “It’s okay, Mingyu, I know there isn’t anything mean about it.”

         Still, it shouldn’t be okay to joke about Wonwoo being rich. Mingyu knows none of his friends wants to make him feel different, maybe he’s just too sensitive. He keeps having to remind himself that there’s a difference between being considerate and ruining the fun.

         “I tend to be a bit… overprotective, I guess.”

         Nayoung snorts, Jieqiong chokes on her sandwich and Doyeon throws some lettuce at him.

         “A bit? You guess?” the first one repeats, trying to save the Chinese girl from choking to death. “Saying you’re a bit overprotective is an understatement. I still can’t believe you, Kim Mingyu, are like that. You’re lucky you’re so tall, you wouldn’t last more than a few seconds in a fight.”

         “I just don’t like to fight, is it that bad?”

         Seokmin puts his arm around his shoulder and leans on me, grinning.

         “Of course not. Your loyalty to your friends and your lack of the usual ‘I need to fight to show how manly I am’ I see in most teenage boys make you pretty cool, kiddo.”

         “I’m as old as you.”

         Seokmin slips, nearly falls in the water and drops his food. Mingyu watches him in silence and tries not to laugh, offering him half of his sandwich as an apology when he fails.

         “Ah, I forgot. You’re tall, but you give a younger vibe or something like that. The others don’t treat you like you’re older than them.”

         “Only Nayoung is older than me,” Mingyu says because he feels like it’s important, even if it’s probably not.

         “Wow, that’s weird. Maybe that’s because you guys don’t act like we do in Korea…”

         “Or maybe we’re just weird and Nayoung and Jieqiong adopted Mingyu.” Doyeon yells at Seungkwan to stop talking with food in his mouth because ew, that’s disgusting and they have guests who certainly didn’t come from another continent to see him being so impolite. “Unless you’re actually the dog? Doyeon should be their daughter and you, the dog. That would make a great family.”

         “Shut up.”

         “Come on, that wouldn’t be different from real life. I feel like spending time with you is like taking care of a puppy.”

         “Always making sure you’re not choking on something you’re not supposed to eat,” Jieqiong adds, ignoring how Mingyu’s whining about how that’s more Junhui than him, “always catching you before you break your nose after tripping on your own feet _again_ …”

         Seokmin tells some embarrassing stories of his own and their conversation turns about who between the two boys has the most humiliating moment before Seungkwan brings it back to his description of Nayoung and Jieqiong’s perfect family… or more like Nayoung comparing Mingyu to a puppy.

         “Mingyu would be the cutest puppy ever. Am I right or am I right, Wonwoo?”

         The “cutest puppy” wants to bite Seungkwan to make him shut the fuck up because no, he doesn’t need a boyfriend and yes, he’d appreciate it if his friend stopped trying to make him date every single boy he talks to. It’s getting embarrassing, more than the time Seokmin mistook a candle for a cupcake and ate the entire thing.

         “Won doesn’t like dogs.”

         “I’m more of a cat person.”

         Seungkwan gasps, hands on his heart as if Wonwoo just confessed to murdering a kitten.

         “Oh my God, how can you say that in front of Mingyu?”

         “Dogs are superior and that’s a fact!”

         “Oh, I’m sorry.” Wonwoo looks at his hands and bites his bottom lip. “Dogs scare me.”

         He sounds sad and it takes Mingyu half a second to apologize, telling him he understands, he doesn’t mind, he didn’t want to make him feel bad. Then, Wonwoo’s serious face breaks into a big, genuine smile.

         “I was kidding,” and his nose scrunch is adorable, Mingyu would probably spit his water like in cartoons if he hadn’t already swallowed it, “I can be funny too, you know.”

         He adds that he is scared of dogs, that this part wasn’t a joke. The others praise him for his good acting while Seokmin helps Jieqiong putting everything back in the bags. They all raise to their feet.

         “Alright, it’s been an hour and we still didn’t see any whales here, so let’s move.” Apparently, Nayoung’s mom voice works on Seokmin and Wonwoo too. “Gyu, sweetie, why don’t you use this occasion to practice your guide voice?”

         “I’m not ready yet… and I’m in charge of the tours on another island.”

         “They’re tourists who don’t know anything about this place, you could say anything and they would believe you.”

         It’s fun. Everyone is laughing and pushing each other, Nayoung yelling at the youngest to be careful and not step on the plants out of the trail they’re walking on. The awkward atmosphere from the previous day has disappeared after their meal, it’s as if Seokmin and Wonwoo were in the group – the gang, they call it – since the beginning. Seungkwan and his new best friend pretend to be amazed at every word that leaves Mingyu’s mouth and he doesn’t know why, but he finds it hilarious.

         (“Oh wow, what a beauty! Monsieur Kim, what is this gem?

         “It looks like a dandelion.”

         “Amazing! Can you tell us more about this rare flower?”

         “It’s yellow.”

         “Thank you for these wise words, sir.”)

Wonwoo doesn’t get his whale, though. The trip back to the village is in silence, everyone – even Nayoung and Jieqiong, who are also making sure they don’t hit something, sink and die – is too busy looking for the mammals to chat. They get on earth safe, but disappointed. Wonwoo tries to hide it behind a smile, probably because he doesn’t want to be rude when the girls were kind enough to let him, a stranger, go with them. His nose doesn’t move, so it’s pretty clear he’s not as happy as he wants them to believe.

         If Mingyu hates sadness, Seungkwan (and Seokmin) absolutely despises it. Unlike his childhood friend, the blond (yay for hair dye!) boy can change the mood and it’s nearly impossible for someone to keep a frown once Boo Seungkwan decides to make them smile. Now that he has Seokmin with him, he’s now twice as powerful and Wonwoo’s bad mood, even mixed with his deception, don’t stand a chance against them. With or without whales, they still have a few hours ahead of them and no one will spend their time with a frown on their face.

         Jieqiong and Nayoung get in their pickup car and leave, taking their boat with them. That’s when the two boys decide to make Wonwoo smile again, looking at Seokmin’s phone and whispering things Mingyu can’t hear. He quickly finds what they were talking about when Seungkwan asks his permission to plug his phone into the speakers for a playlist he just made with Seokmin. The songs are catchy and when the third one starts, Wonwoo is singing along like the others.

         And if Mingyu makes a detour instead of going straight home, it doesn’t have anything to do with how good Wonwoo’s singing voice sounds.

 

(Thirty minutes later, Mingyu stops the car and takes Wonwoo’s hand before he can follow the others outside.

         “My grandmother gave me a movie I liked when I was a kid and I think you’d enjoy it.”

         “And you have it in your car?”

         “Well, I forgot about it until you came. Maybe we could watch it together, it’s been a while and I don’t think I remember even half of it.”

         It’s a lie, Mingyu could say every single line and in their character’s voice.

         “Sounds nice, thanks.”

         That night, they watch _The Tadpole and the Whale_ and the movie is better than Mingyu remembered.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried not to make it too "mingyu has a big secret and it's really dark and dramatic" (the tags already spoiled it anyway), i just didn't want to make his whole character about it (･ω･)
> 
> "awn sorry for the long comment" no need to apologize, i love long comments! the longer they are, the longer lulu's life will be (｀∀´)Ψ
> 
> my twitter: @PetitSkittles (i need more friends!!!)


	3. chapitre deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: there's a bit of a panic attack... wonwoo gets too curious, mingyu can't breathe (well, he can, but a bit too much if you know what i mean)
> 
> Mingyu and Wonwoo go to the museum, a cat died and Joshua stans LOONA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my friend edited the chapter before i posted it, but i think there was a misunderstanding since most of the verbs in the first part were in past tense and the others in present (in the same sentence, like "joshua did this and does that"). i tried to change it, but i'm tired and i probably missed a few.
> 
> ps: two things a friend made me notice:
> 
> 1\. yes, it's a bit like another seventeen fanfiction (i won't say which one, but i think most meanie shippers already know it or another iconic meanie fanfic written by the same carat), but no, i didn't copy it. it's the second chapter, please read more before saying such things (it came from a friend and in a "maybe some people will tell you _______" so don't worry, everything is fine for now)
> 
> 2\. yes, i know people use "gang" for a group of friends and not just the mafia stuff, but wonwoo is a foreigner who doesn't have english as his first language. when i used that word in a conversation with a friend, she thought of "gang = mafia" and i based myself on this (･ω･)

The next day, Mingyu has to work for more than ten hours. Since walking under the sun for a long time is tiring (and almost twice as boring), he falls asleep as soon as he got home. Doyeon gently wakes him up so he can eat what Joshua had cooked while he was asleep. He’s so tired he can’t even tell what he’s eating, but it’s good. He mumbles a “thank you” to his friends and goes back to sleep, his cousin’s fingers playing with his hair while he lays his head on Joshua’s chest.

That’s how they sleep, the three of them on the same mattress on the floor. Most often than not, at least one of them wake up with a foot or an arm in their face, but it doesn’t stop them from sleeping in the same position the next day, even if it means Mingyu has to deal with getting Doyeon’s hair in his face. Her shampoo may smell like sparkles and dreams, but it doesn’t make her hair taste good.

          When he wakes up, it’s quite late in the morning, so he decides to stay home to spend a few hours with his two guests. His parents took his two youngest siblings to the beach, while the twins were at a friend’s house. Doyeon picks a playlist on Mingyu’s phone and does her best to help the boys in the kitchen, but they quickly realize that she sings more than she cooks. Knowing how things ended last time, Mingyu lets her cook something, and no one says anything despite having to cook for them _and_ Mingyu’s family. Joshua even ends up joining her in an intense singing competition – their high notes sound too strained, hurting both their throats and their ears, but none of the three friends seems to care – and Mingyu is left on his own. No one is surprised.

          “So, what was their surprise?” Doyeon asks, sitting on the counter because tables are boring.

          “What? Oh, you’re talking about Seungcheol and Jeonghan? Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”

          “Can you, like, stop being annoying and tell me? Come on, I want to know.”

          “That’s none of your business and I don’t see why I should tell you anything about it, bitch.” Despite their harsh words, Joshua and Doyeon are laughing. They only stops when Mingyu places the food on the table, the only girl of the small group leaving her counter to sit on a chair like a normal person.

          “How was your day, Gyu? I’m talking about yesterday, by the way.”

          “Shut up, even working ‘til shit o’clock can’t make me tired enough to be that dense, I know you’re talking about yesterday.”

          “Any weird homophobic men?” Joshua asks without letting him answer their friend.

          On Mingyu’s very first day at his job, one of his co-workers, a sweet girl who was _fifteen_ years old when it happened, had a conversation with an old man. Since she was working, she was forced to smile and be polite despite his speech on how technology was a sin and women were made to satisfy men. When Mingyu saw them, he could see how uncomfortable the girl was and how interesting her chest seemed to be to the man. He remembered running to them, telling her their boss wanted to talk to her and subtly mentioning homosexuality to see her parasite’s reaction.

          The man didn’t take it well – “women were made for men, homosexuality is lust, not love, bla bla bla” – and Mingyu finally got a chance to use something he had read on Tumblr. When the man declared there was a special place in hell for gays, Mingyu had to stop himself from laughing as he replied that yes, the throne was waiting for them.

          That was the only problematic client he ever had at his summer job, but it became a joke between the three of them.

          “Nope, but there was something with the captain and a guest she forgot to add on the list. Nothing too troublesome, the only problem was the security guard not understanding what she was saying.”

          “Mister Worldwide to the rescue,” the other boy jokes, slurping his noodles and making as much noise as he can to annoy Doyeon.

          When she hits him, Mingyu pretends he didn’t see anything.

          “Hey, before I forget, have you heard about Jieqiong and Nayoung’s act of rebellion?”

          Doyeon snorts. Joshua is the nicest of the group, too kind for the sad world they’re living in, but he loves gossip (as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone).

          “We’re talking about Nayoung and Jieqiong, how bad can it be? Did they steal candies or not open the door for an old lady?”

          “Please, they’d never _not_ open the door for an old lady.” Mingyu doesn’t say anything about the stealing part because, well, once, Nayoung accidentally stole about fifty dollars worth of books because she had put said books in her bag so she could keep her hands free to look at other books, and just forgot to pay before she left.

          At the time, she was eleven and it was nothing but an accident, so Mingyu doesn’t know if it counts. Still, he doubts she never once stole at least a pack of gum. As bad as it sounds, everyone in the village does it at least once during their young and stupid phase – even Mingyu – and no one ever gets caught. It’s one of these things people know just because they do.

          “From what I’ve heard from Kyla, Nayoung told someone at her job that his racist comments weren’t as flattering as he thought, and that she wasn’t about to spread her legs for some racist bullshit and that he could shove it up his ass. Lize was so shocked to hear it from sweet Nayoung that she didn’t even think about firing her, saying the client probably deserved it if she said something so unusual of her. On her way out, Jieqiong spilled her iced tea on said client, it was beautiful.”

          Sounds like his friends, always getting in and out of trouble. Mingyu loves them.

          “Talking about the girls, they wanted me to spend the afternoon with them, is that okay with you?” Doyeon asks him, clearly bored by the conversation. It’s not that she doesn’t care, she simply doesn’t like hearing about such bad things happening to her friends.

          “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll just stay with Joshua.”

          Joshua shakes his head and swallows before opening his mouth. Doyeon uses this occasion to ask Mingyu to stop talking with his mouth full, because he’s cute, but she would like to enjoy her meal without seeing it chewed.

          “Nah, I’ll be with the boys. I promised Jeonghan I’d watch a movie with him…”

          “And we all know you won’t watch a movie.” Doyeon quickly gets her food away from the American – the _blushing_ American – before he can steal from it as a punishment. “I was talking about you two planning world domination or Seungcheol’s murder! Not everything is about gays!”

          “I’m not gay!”

          “You have Loona’s whole discography in your phone, that’s basically the same thing!”

          That’s something that makes Mingyu sigh. He regrets showing Twitter to his cousin.

          “Both of you came here to see me, but now you’re leaving for someone else, I am hurt,” he says as he wipes away a tear. He’s surprisingly good at faking tears and can start sobbing in a second, no wonder it was easy to manipulate Nayoung when she was his babysitter.

          (Then, she learned he was faking it, and even if it’s been ten years, he’s still scared of her when she gets angry.)

          “We just spent a whole day and a morning with you,” Joshua rolls his eyes, finally succeeding at stealing what is left of Doyeon’s plate. “You’ll be fine.”

          Doyeon doesn’t try to kill Joshua for taking her food and she doesn’t have the “I’m thinking about the way I’ll hide your body” face. That’s how Mingyu knows he should be worried.

          “You know, if you don’t want to stay here and relax, you could take Wonwoo to the museum.”

          She smiles at Joshua and he understands what she was doing. Mingyu groans. That’s it, he’s over. His friends are already dangerous on their own, once they’re together, they’re unstoppable.

          “Oh, Seungkwan told me Seokmin said Wonwoo mentioned his cat three days after they left. You didn’t go to the cat today, maybe you should bring him with you.”

          “So now I have to spend three hours on the road?”

          That isn’t what he had planned to do, but he loses the fight. Joshua hands him his phone with Seungkwan’s number already on the screen.

          “Have fun without us!” Joshua’s eyes are twinkling with excitement and that little thing that makes them so… Joshua. Not for the first time, Mingyu hopes Seungcheol and Jeonghan know how lucky they are.

          “Come on, twinie. Do it for the gays.”

          Twinie, as in twin, but with the extra “-ie” to make it cuter. There is also “zumeau” – who comes from the French word “jumeau” – and Mini, but she stopped using the latter after he left the village for his studies, saying it was too childish. Mingyu doesn’t have any nickname for her except for twinie, so that’s the one both of them prefer, with Doyeon showing it by using it more often than the others.

          He slams his head on the table and regrets it because it hurt more than it looked in the movies. His pained expression makes his friends laugh and he can’t even get mad at them, he knows he looks dumb and deserved that reaction.

          “Alright. I mean, if it’s for the gays…”

 

Mingyu doesn’t need to mention the gays to get Wonwoo in his car (Thank God, that would have been _so_ embarrassing). Thanks to Joshua (Seungkwan and Seokmin probably deserve some credits too), he now has a new contact in his phone. After sending him a text about the museum, he barely waits ten minutes before Seungkwan’s car stops in the middle of the street – everyone is used to it anyway – to drop Wonwoo off. Bag on his shoulder – Mingyu needs to remember to tell him how it affects his back – and hat on his head, he looks like any other tourist, making the local smile, amused. He almost loses it when he sees Wonwoo’s huge camera and his sunglasses hanging off the collar of his shirt. It’s both cute and incredibly funny how he’s the perfect cliché of a tourist, looking everywhere with that face that shows how new this place is to him.

          Mingyu waits for him in his own car and opens his door for him without moving from his seat. His want to give a good impression loses to his clumsiness, and after realizing he stretched too far, falls face first on the passenger’s – Wonwoo’s – seat. His ego hurts more than his nose, though he whines and can already see the red face he’ll have to walk around with for the rest of the day.

          Wonwoo certainly did not expect to find him like that.

          “What are you doing?”

          “My cousin put something on the seat – a cloudberry pie, I think – and now it smells really good.”

          Wonwoo, bless him, is kind enough to keep quiet. Maybe that’s just because he doesn’t know cloudberry pies don’t smell that good, though.

          “ I’m kidding. I fell,” he adds as if it made it less humiliating.

          He doesn’t get asked how and searches for something to give Wonwoo to thank him (and, hopefully, to make him forget about his clumsiness). Mingyu only has a pack of cinnamon-flavored gum, but the other accepts a piece with a tiny smile. One that doesn’t show teeth, but it’s a start.

          They leave the village and there’s no way they’ll spent an hour in an awkward silence, so a song starts and Mingyu watches Wonwoo’s reaction. When he frowns, the next song starts playing. If he bops his head or shows he likes it, the song played until the last second. He may have a “the driver picks the song” rule in his car, but Wonwoo is a guest and has priority.

          Six songs later, he lowers the volume.

          “Hey. You okay with a bit of talk?”

          “About what?”

          “I don’t know. Anything about you, your life in Korea. I know everyone here, it gets boring quickly. Nothing’s new and the gossip reminds me too much of middle school to be interesting.”

          Wonwoo shrugs and looks out the window. There isn’t anything worth watching, only trees and mountains. Maybe they’ll see a bear or some bunnies.

          Mingyu just hopes they won’t see a corpse on the road, killed by a car. It wouldn’t be the first time he sees one, but for Wonwoo, that would be a different story.

          “There isn’t anything interesting about me… my life is kind of boring. You probably don’t want to hear about all that CEO stuff.”

          “Oh, I’m sure you have a lot of good stories about funny things your employees do. You’re new here, I don’t know much about you. You could tell me about the weirdest thing you ever did, the moment you decided you liked whales more than other animals, how it is to be on a cruise.”

          Maybe his first two suggestions were too personal since Wonwoo jumped on the last one and opens his mouth before the other can bring up something else.

          That’s how Mingyu learns about things.

          Wonwoo’s room is in front of Seokmin’s, but after two weeks, they slept in the same room. For the young CEO, it’s unusual to get so close to someone he just met, but he blames in on the familiarity the other Korean gave him, being the only one able to communicate with him in Korean and understanding everything related to the culture. Mingyu makes some understanding noises, but doesn’t say anything, so Wonwoo goes on.

          “It’s great, I’m definitely going to buy something to thank Soonyoung. I didn’t see even one whale yet, but the food is delicious, the people are nice and being away from home doesn’t make me as stressed as I thought. It’s kind of ironic, how it makes me relax even if I feel better with Seokmin by my side.”

          “Nothing wrong with that,” Mingyu says when he realizes there’s a chance Wonwoo wouldn’t appreciate a one-sided conversation.

          “Of course not, Seokmin is a good person. I think I would have befriended him even if we didn’t have our culture and language in common.”

          “Some people are like that, you just can’t hate or dislike them.”

          Mingyu can see Wonwoo blinking and glancing at him. Weird.

          “Like you,” the oldest of the two mumbles, and Mingyu’s chest is warm.

          But he laughs and tells Wonwoo he’d be surprised. Then, he mentions the cruise again.

          “Oh, yeah,” and Mingyu can tell the tourist is happy he didn’t make it awkward after his confession, “I don’t think there’s a stop I liked more than the others. This one is my last chance to see a whale and, according to pretty much everyone who knows a bit about the place, it’s nearly impossible for me to leave without seeing one. It’ll probably be my favourite one because of that.”

          Mingyu remembers telling him about the whales. He’s glad Wonwoo remembers it too, but he’s not surprised. Wonwoo’s love for the whales – really cute, by the way – will not let him forget even the most insignificant thing about them.

          Mingyu didn’t think there would be a day when he’d like to call a grown man “adorable” yet here they are.

          “The cruise makes me relaxed and stressed too, I don’t know how to explain it. Like, I feel like I could spend the whole day in bed and I’d enjoy it, but I’m also worried about the company, my cat, everything I left in Korea… and what if I do something embarrassing? I’m stuck on the boat with these people for weeks.”

          “Mood.” The golden-skinned boy – days under the sun made his skin look _so_ good – comments. “I’m like that, always thinking about what could go wrong, except that my two brain cells can’t do anything to stop me from doing the stupid stuff.”

          Like that one time he almost outed himself when there was a perfect occasion to make a gay joke. Luckily, that was a day when his brain was awake and actually willing to make him do the smart thing.

          “At least, in the boat, I can use the foreigner card. According to what Seokmin told me about Seungkwan and you, that’s not something you can bring up.”

“People got used to me, I guess. I’m as clumsy with my tongue as I am with my feet.”

And wow, that was the best way to prove it. He fights the want to slam his head on the wheel, but goes back to Wonwoo. That was anything but sexy or cool.

“Talking about people, what’s your opinion on the village?”

“There isn’t anything worth mentioning… most people are polite, but that’s all I can say. Except for you and your friends, I barely talked to the habitants.”

“Well, it’s better to have nothing to say than having a negative opinion,” Mingyu chuckles, wishing Doyeon was with them.

When he’s talking to Wonwoo, he always has to stop and search for his words, a problem his cousin never has. Being alone with him makes it even harder, but surprisingly not awkward. Saying the silence between them is comfortable would be a lie, but none of them seemed to want another car to crash into them (yet). Knowing Wonwoo can be quite impressive as an actor, Mingyu can only hope he’s not faking the small smile he managed to put on the man’s face. He can tell he’s doing a great job so far.

“I guess. I didn’t get any cameras shoved in my face, no one except you and your friends know how rich I am. It’s weird, but a good kind of weird.”

“You finally have some space, hurray! Being famous must suck. I can’t imagine not being able to go buy bread and chips without getting jumped on.”

As the second oldest of the six Kim siblings and a habitant of such a small village (well, three thousand of people, but it’s still smaller than the city), Mingyu struggles with his private life. Even after leaving, everyone seems to be aware of everything he does. When he’s in the house, the hours he can be alone without any of his siblings bothering him can be counted on his fingers. Wonwoo doesn’t have this chance.

“Oh, before I forget… your bag. It’s bad for your back to put weight on only one shoulder. If it gets painful, you can always ask Seungkwan for a massage, he’s good.”

He’s the one who taught Seungkwan, but he’ll keep that part for himself. He’s not _that_ cliché (and giving Wonwoo a massage would ruin what’s left of his sanity).

 

When Mingyu finally stops the car, his ass hurts – no, not _that_ kind of pain, his seat is just uncomfortable as hell – and he’s laughing. A real, loud laugh, something his mouth almost forgot. After the first half, they got tired of talking, deciding they could always ask about what they wanted to know later, and turned the music on. Mingyu’s throat is a bit sore – from screaming the lyrics, of course – and that’s when he decides he doesn’t want Wonwoo to go, not after three small weeks, not so soon. He wants him to stay and go eat ice cream with him.

          In a platonic way, he can’t love him and show it. People wouldn’t understand, they never understand. But Mingyu will take what he can and if it’s a friendship that will last for less than a month, then so be it. Maybe Minghao is right, he should try to enjoy his life without thinking too much about the future.

          The museum is small and, as a CEO, Wonwoo surely saw bigger buildings and better expositions. Mingyu is still proud of himself for thinking about bringing him there; his passenger loves whales and is too polite to make a comment comparing the museum to the ones he visited before.

          Mingyu switches to English and Wonwoo accepts it without asking any question. It’s a bit embarrassing, but Mingyu had a bad experience with the girl who works at the museum and a day without any negative comments about his ethnicity would be nice.

          “I called it a museum because that’s how people call it, but it’s more like… I don’t know, a research center or something.”

          Wonwoo nods and that’s the only reaction Mingyu gets from him. Before he throws himself under a car – yeah, he’s sensitive like that – for saying something that Wonwoo couldn’t care less about, he opens the research center’s door like the gentleman he is.

          Then, he crashes into Wonwoo and goes from gentleman to _fucking_ loser. Considering how light the other is, it’s not surprising to see him stumble. For some reason, Mingyu quickly wraps his arms around the body in front of him. He would normally blush and apologize, but he’s too busy thinking about how tiny Wonwoo’s waist is and _holy shit the man has abs_.

          Fuck. He barely knows Wonwoo, yet he’s already touching him in an uncomfortable, awkward way. His friends got used to having to deal with a clingy puppy, but it’s really not the same thing. When his face heats up and turns red, it’s not because he’s shy, he’s embarrassed and humiliated. He hates that.

          It all stops when Wonwoo chuckles and puts his hands on his (oh my) to break Mingyu’s embrace.

          “Sorry for, sorry for that,” Mingyu stutters, flustered, but the spiral of negative thoughts stopped.

          “It’s fine. I’m glad to know you got my back.”

          It’s a joke, of course, but Mingyu doesn’t care. Wonwoo is with him and making jokes, even if they’re not that funny.

          He’s starting to have a bit of a squish and karma is coming back at him for making it on a man who will leave in three weeks. Unlike Seungkwan, he’s not that good with Internet friendships. The only one he ever had was with Minghao before they met in real life, but that one was an exception. Minghao was another university student from the same country as him, not a CEO from Korea who will be too busy to send more than a boring “hey, how are you” once a month.

          “It’s beautiful,” a deep voice whispers, taking Mingyu away from his (sad, dark) mind. “Sorry for stopping like that, it was my fault. I just, I just didn’t expect that.”

          The museum research center is indeed beautiful. As soon as the people get in, they’re in the ocean, surrounded by whales painted on the walls. The décor makes the place look way bigger than it is and they’ll be over in an hour or so… if Wonwoo didn’t stop to read every single thing about whales. Mingyu didn’t spend twenty-four hours with him, yet it’s enough for him to know he should expect anything but that. Wonwoo could stay there for the whole afternoon and he’d ask to come back the next day.

          “Don’t worry about that. Being a walking disaster isn’t new to me, I just didn’t know it could be contagious.”

          “Shut up, you’re ruining the moment.”

          “Yeah, that’s another great talent of mine.”

          “You’re a man of many talents, I’m jealous.”

          Coming from a CEO, that’s ironic. Mingyu doesn’t know shit about all that stuff, but he’s sure it’s not easy to become one at such a young age. Wonwoo must be talented – and smart – since he owns a company, which is doing more than great.

          Well, that’s what he thinks and he’s not an expert, so he could be wrong.

          “Making friends isn’t one of them,” Wonwoo replies to that. “You managed to befriend me, that’s impressive. I don’t usually get so close to people… it’s only been a few days yet I feel like I can’t call you anything else than a friend.”

          “No.” Mingyu has nothing to do with that and he wants him to know. “You can make friends on your own, you know. There’s Seokmin and everyone else. They’re not friendly with you because of me or Seungkwan. Doyeon genuinely – did I pronounce that right? – likes you and even I didn’t expect us to become friends so fast.”

          He hoped they would though. Mingyu hopes for a lot of things, but he usually doesn’t get most of them… but he has to admit he didn’t really believe he’d get a unicorn for his sixth birthday. Maybe if he stopped making such dumb wishes, he’d actually see more of them happening.

          “Hey, you’re okay? I’ve noticed you’re spacing out a lot,” Wonwoo asks him, not even trying to hide the small hint of worry in his voice. “If you’re sick, we can leave and go back another day.”

          Before he can put his hand on Mingyu’s forehead and makes him actually sick (but not in a bad way), Mingyu takes a step back and shows his canines, fully aware of how adorable they make his smile look. He knows his power and he isn’t afraid of using it. According to Minghao, that’s “chaotic gay energy” – which obviously isn’t true since he’s bisexual, but he can agree on the “chaotic” part.

          “I’m okay,” he insists when Wonwoo steps forward, following him. “It’s difficult for me to keep my attention on one thing if I don’t have anything to occupy my hands, like drawing or these weird sponge things.”

          “Your face is a bit red, though…”

          “I’m fine, really! It’s just super hot, with the sun and all that stuff.”

          Seeing Wonwoo’s expression, it’s clear the other isn’t convinced, but he drops it and goes back to the conversation they were having before Mingyu spaced out. It’s obvious Wonwoo’s trying his best, but the subject makes him uncomfortable. Mingyu can see it, which doesn’t mean anything since he’s good at reading people as if they were books – even if they’re a rich CEO who’s used to faking feelings and emotions for the sake of their job – with years of experience.

          “I know tons of people in Korea, but I can’t call them my friends,” he starts, eyes on the whale painted on the wall. “I only spend time with them for business and I doubt they would be so… _friendly_ if I suddenly lost my money.”

          “That’s sad,” Mingyu whispers, as if saying it louder would make it even sadder. “I’d hate it if I knew people only wanted to hang out with me because they get something out of it.”

          “It comes with the money and the success, Mingyu. You can’t be famous and successful and not expect to get some trouble because of it.”

          “Something I certainly won’t get if I keep working as a guide.”

          “Yeah, you’ll get to have real friends. Sweet!”

          Their sense of humour is kind of fucked up, Mingyu thinks. Maybe they shouldn’t joke about that. Wonwoo isn’t offended though, and that’s what matters.

          “I like your friends,” Wonwoo admits, still refusing to look him in the eyes. “They’re not being nice for money, you didn’t even know about my job. Soonyoung is one of my only friends and the only one in Seoul. When he’s gone, I can feel lonely. Money doesn’t buy you company.”

          “Shit, that was deep. But, y’know, I’m always with someone, but it doesn’t mean I never feel lonely.”

          Wonwoo reads the board in front of them and Mingyu can’t tell if he’s pretending or not. He didn’t know they would get so… personal.

          “It’s weird, being so open with someone other than Soonyoung.”

          “I only talk about these things with Hao or Doyeon,” Mingyu replies. “Maybe you’re better than you think at making friends.”

          Wonwoo snorts, a sound that doesn’t fit his handsome could-be-your-sugar-daddy-but-also-your-cuddle-buddy image.

          “Nah, you have some powers. Seriously, we just met yet here I am, telling you about things I never told to anyone, not even my parents… Soonyoung being an exception, of course.”

          “How dare you bring up another man when we’re spending time together,” Mingyu dramatically gasps, hand on his chest. “I’m offended.”

          “Your heart is on the other side, idiot.”

          “Didn’t give a shit about it two seconds ago, won’t give a shit about it now.”

          They walk around the museum without a word, Mingyu following Wonwoo without complaining despite knowing almost everything by heart. It takes him half an hour to decide the silence got too boring and awkward, he needs to talk. Surprisingly, Wonwoo’s faster than him.

          “Thanks for bringing me here. I appreciate it.”

          “Poor rich boy isn’t used to free kindness,” Mingyu teases him because his brain suddenly forgot how to read emotions and not say something that will make him sound like an asshole. “Wait, fuck, that’s not how I meant to say it– I shouldn’t even have thought of saying something like that or joking about this, I’m so sorry!”

          “Wow. Even you can be as socially awkward as me. It kind of gives me hope about myself.”

          “Shut the fuck up, Wonwoo. I’ve seen you talking in public, that charisma must be somewhere in you even when you’re not talking about your company.”

          Wonwoo grimaces at that.

          “That’s acting… I’m really not that confident.”

          “It’s okay to not be confident about everything all the time, y’know. You weren’t acting with the others though, and they all liked you. Give yourself some credits!”

          “It’s great to be with you. You give me that feeling that makes me want to tell you about all my problems as if you could solve them in a second and, knowing I’ll leave soon and we won’t see each other again, it makes it even easier.”

          Mingyu knows Wonwoo didn’t mean it like that, but he feels like a punching ball. Great.

          “Even so, we’re starting a conversation I don’t mind having, but I didn’t bring you here for that. Of course, I will gladly talk to you about all that stuff,” he quickly adds because being hurt doesn’t give him the right to hurt someone else, “but I don’t think it’s a good idea to get so emotional here. We’re not exactly in private and, while I seriously doubt that guide looking at her phone instead of doing her job cares or can even understand what we’re saying, you have to keep in mind you’re a CEO. Your reputation is important and I really don’t want to be involved in a scandal because some people can’t mind their business.”

          Wonwoo blinks and opens his mouth. Three seconds later (not that Mingyu is counting them), he closes it and blinks again.

          “You’re right, thank you for saving me from a scandal and a headache. Maybe we should talk about whales, since we’re here for that. Soonyoung memorized some weird facts about whales so he could distract me when I’m tired or when I feel down. I guess you can already tell I’ve memorized them too.”

          “Is there anything you would not do for whales?”

          “Is that really a question?” Wonwoo hits his shoulder, not putting enough strength in it to hurt him. “The answer is no.”

          “Then, why are you only travelling to see one now? What stopped you from doing it sooner?”

          “I thought we agreed on stopping with the personal stuff, Mingyu.”

          Wonwoo’s voice is more serious than playful and Mingyu searches something to say, anything.

          “Male whales’ genitals are inside them so it’s easier for them to swim. They’re walki– swimming around with their dick in the body. Wish I could do that so my cousin would stop threatening to kick me between the legs when I get too annoying.”

          Okay, maybe anything _but_ that.

          “Sounds like something Soonyoung would tell me. Last time, he told me the closest living relative to cetaceans are hippos. I already knew that, it’s on one of the first sites you get if you type ‘weird facts about whales’ on Google… like the fact they keep their genitals inside of them when they aren’t mating.” Wonwoo grins, proud of already knowing what the other said. “I get bored pretty easily in planes and I’ve read all the sites on the two first result pages, you can’t surprise me.”

          “Guess I’ll have to check the third one then. To be honest, I like white whales more than the others. Belugas are always smiling, that’s so cute!”

          “I don’t know one, but I had a feeling you’d have a soft spot for belugas,” Wonwoo chuckles, pointing a plushie on the counter a few steps away from them. “If you were a whale, you’d be a beluga for sure.”

          _Is he calling me cute?!_

          “Always smiling and a ball of happiness and sunshine, as Soonyoung would say,” the oldest of the two goes, missing how Mingyu’s eyebrows goes down as quickly as it went up. “But I have to say I prefer humpback whales… or maybe the killer ones. Orcas were my favourites when I was a child.”

          “They kill other whales, I thought you’d hate that?”

          “That’s just how nature is.”

          “I should have expected you to pick a black and white whale… so boring.”

          “Orcas are cool and you picked a plain white whale, that’s the pot calling the kettle back.”

          “It’s black.”

          “Belugas aren’t black.”

          “No, the expression. It’s the pot calling the kettle black, not the pot calling the kettle ba– God, I’m not getting into an argument over a stupid thing like that,” Mingyu groans, hand in his hair to get it out of his face.

          “Whale, English isn’t my first language, you can’t blame me for some mistakes.”

          “Did you just– Oh my _God_. I’m whale too sober for these kind of jokes– Oh, fuck off. ”

          “That was whale thought.”

          “Shuuuuuuuuut up.”

          “Oh, come on, Soonyoung made me memorize whale more puns than that, might as whale use them.”

          “I can’t hear youuuuuuuu,” Mingyu sings, hands on his ears, doing a terrible job at trying not to laugh.

          Wonwoo’s – Soonyoung’s – whales puns are terrible, he can’t deny it, but it’s nice to see the other having fun and joking. It’s cute how whales, these big animals, have enough power to turn the serious CEO into a playful kid. In the museum, bad puns after bad puns, he has nothing of the cold man Mingyu saw on the photos Google and Wikipedia showed him. Wonwoo could pass as any other young man from the village, except for his handsome face (but that’s probably Mingyu’s opinion and nothing else).

          Wonwoo refuses to stop, replying at everything he says with a pun ever worse than the previous one, until they enter a room full of screens. There, they can see whales as if they were in the sea, swimming with them. When the guide finally decides to do her job, she joins them and gives some explanations in English – and Mingyu’s petty heart is satisfied knowing all the time she spent on Netflix didn’t really make her bilingual as she pretended it did – to the boys before giving them two pairs of headphones and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

          If Mingyu had to choose something he’d never get tired of hearing, he would choose the whales’ song. The species don’t matter, he loves them all, as much as he loves the sound of waves.

          “You should try going to the sea,” he whispers as soon as the whales stop singing. “When you’re underwater, if the sea is deep enough where you are, you can hear them sing.”

          “You think,” Wonwoo stops for a moment, trying to remember his friend’s name, “Nayoung would be okay with that? I don’t want to be a burden.”

          “Trust me, Nayoung loves her boat and avoiding her family. By asking her to spend an afternoon on the sea, you would probably help her more than she would help you. She’ll bring Jieqiong with her though, you’ll have to see them being annoyingly lovey-do– fuck.”

          “Hey, I already knew,” Wonwoo’s voice gets lower and it’s so deep… of course, Seokmin couldn’t befriend someone else than a hot dude from another continent who happens to be Mingyu’s ideal type, fuck his bad luck. “I don’t mind.”

          “I’m just, just used to pretending they’re only friends. Sorry.”

          Mingyu doesn’t know why he’s apologizing, but that’s another of these things he’s used to do, so it feels right. Judging by Wonwoo’s face, he disagrees.

          “Stop apologizing when you didn’t do anything wrong, Mingyu.”

          That wouldn’t be the first confession Mingyu made since they met but talking about this subject was still too personal. Hell, it took him months before finally being able to talk about it to Doyeon and a whole year to do it without crying.

          He shouldn’t cry, he hates it, feeling weak and worthless, but sometimes he just can’t help it. It’s when he doesn’t have a friend with him that it gets troublesome. He’s with Wonwoo now, doing something fun, so he prefers not thinking about it.

          “Sorry,” Mingyu laughs, smile showing his canines. “You want us to stay here? From what I remember, they have about five different songs, the first one just ended. They’re not that different though. Honestly, I couldn’t say if you played two different songs or if it was the same song played twice!”

          “You really don’t mind?”

          “Wonwoo, I have five siblings, I love having some time to myself and it’s not happening if I stay at home. The longer we take, the better it is. Also, I’m the one offering it, please stop always asking me if I’m okay with things I’m offering you. Seriously, it’s fine.”

          Wonwoo keeps quiet before joking about understanding why Nayoung and him are such good friends since they have so much in common. Mingyu can’t even say he’s wrong.

          Mingyu shows Wonwoo where to click to play the other songs, not really sure he can call them songs, and if Wonwoo plays each of them at least twice, he smiles and watches him without a word. Wonwoo is lost in his world, probably one under the sea where he can see and touch whales. Closing his eyes, he breathes slowly, as if the whales singing in his ears could get scared, and Mingyu swears he never saw anyone looking as peaceful as his new friend.

          That says a lot, knowing his mother loves yoga.

          Time flies and before he knows it, they got out of the room. Wonwoo could have spend the whole day – his whole life – in it, but the museum is about to close and Mingyu wants to do something before they leave.

          “Go, choose one.”

          The first time he visited the museum, he didn’t miss the small counter at the exit, with books, plushies and everything a museum like this one sells. When he was still a kid small enough to be considered tiny, his uncle bought him a book. It’s now somewhere in his boxes and Mingyu doesn’t read it a lot.

          “Mingyu, you paid for the visit, I’m not letting you buy me a gift.”

          “I’m not asking if you want me to pay or not, I’m asking you to pick one. The choice isn’t yours, sir.”

          Mingyu doesn’t sound as sarcastic as he intended to and Wonwoo blinks, an expression Mingyu finds himself unable to read on his face.

          “Mingyu, I could buy the whole museum if I wanted to, I should be the one buying you a gift as a thank you for the visit and for taking the time to bring me here.”

          “For fuck’s sake Wonwoo, can’t you please let me be kind to you? I can’t do anything without you acting as if I just sold my body to the fucking mafia for you. You don’t owe me anything, I’m being nice and that’s it, period. Choose a fucking book and a plushie while you’re at it, it’s kind of cheap anyway.”

          They argue until the guide stops them and Wonwoo finally takes a book, slamming it on the counter while looking Mingyu in the eyes. He doesn’t put much force in it so he doesn’t actually disrespect the book or whatever book lovers like him and Doyeon call it, but the thought is there.

          “See, it wasn’t that hard.”

          “Shut the fuck up before I choke you with that book.”

          Wonwoo cares too much about books to mean that threat. Also, his cheeks are a bit red and Mingyu considers that a win.

 

When they get out of the museum, they realize they didn’t spend more than an hour in it. They arrived pretty late, but Wonwoo is still satisfied about their time in it. It’s weird to know they’ll be on the road for twice the time they had in the museum, but none of them says or thinks it wasn’t worth it.

          But, if they really want to get the more out of their trip, they might as well – whale – go at another place before leaving and Mingyu already has an idea.

          “Hey, Won,” he calls, the nickname rolling off his tongue as if he was using it since forever. “You want to get some ice cream before we go back in the car? It’s still pretty hot and the sun loves my black car, so let’s not suffocate or something on our way back.”

          “If you wanted to eat ice cream, you only had to ask, no need to be so dramatic.”

          “I’m an Aries, it’s my job to be dramatic.”

          “Aries, dramatic?” Wonwoo repeats, raising an eyebrow. “Not even close. Anyway, I’m a Cancer, bow down to me.”

          “Can’t argue with that, I lose.”

          Mingyu’s offer to get ice cream gets a positive answer. As soon as he opens the door, a familiar face greets him. In the years they spent away from each other, Nick changed a lot.

          “Hey, Nick.”

          “Mingyu, it’s been a while! I’ve heard you came here every summer since you left, it surprised me.”

          “Yes, I guess I wasn’t that ready to leave the village. How about you? I didn’t see you even once since my first year in the city.”

          Mingyu used to have a lot of friends, but most of them were only his friends because he was spending five days a week with them. When he left for the city, only one cared enough to keep talking to him, but it didn’t last for more than a few months.

          He considers himself lucky to still have Minghao, Nayoung and the others. They studied at the same place and got even closer.

          That doesn’t mean he’s not glad to see Nick anymore. Even if they haven’t talked in years, he didn’t forget how much fun they had together. They weren’t that close, Mingyu’s pretty sure they only did things together because they shared friends, so he didn’t feel betrayed when they didn’t keep in touch.

          “Ah, I just missed the place, that’s all. Working here doesn’t suck as much as it used to, but maybe that’s just me being nostalgic.”

          “Wouldn’t surprise me, you used to complain about your summer job for the first month of school,” Mingyu laughs.

          He translates most of their conversation for Wonwoo, who’s just standing behind him and reading his new book after trying to understand and giving up.

          “Sorry, he only knows English and Korean.”

          “You forgot Mandarin and Japanese,” Wonwoo interrupts him, smiling at his surprised face. “I know the words for English and Korean, it was easy to understand what you were saying.”

          “Oh, that’s smart. Pick a flavour, I’ll be yours in a minute.”

          Wonwoo nods and Nicks hands him the English version of the list on the wall before leaning on the counter, smiling at Mingyu.

          “How have you been, Gyu? I hope you haven’t stopped drawing, that would be sad. Your drawings were the best in the whole school, everyone loved them.”

          “I’m fine, just a bit tired. About my drawings, it’s funny you’re asking, I’m working on something. I can’t tell you what though, it’s a surprise!”

          “Send me a picture when it’s done, ‘kay?”

          “Only if I’m satisfied with it.”

          Nick rolls his eyes and teases him about how he’s never satisfied with his drawings. Back in their teenage years, Mingyu had always refused to let anyone see his drawings when they weren’t for his art class. That’s one of the things about Mingyu that hasn’t changed.

          Wonwoo keeps quiet the whole time and sits on a chair, his book on his knees so he doesn’t ruin it by putting on a table sticky from all the ice cream dropped on it.

          (Mingyu doesn’t doubt Nick is doing an amazing job at cleaning said tables, but if Wonwoo takes care of books like Doyeon does, even knowing the table is new wouldn’t be enough to have him risk his precious gift. Even if Wonwoo isn’t doing this because of him, he’s flattered by how he takes care of it.)

          “By the way, I’m sorry for your girlfriend. I’ve heard about what happened, not enough to know the whole story, but it sucks. You deserve better.”

          Mingyu has to force a small so he doesn’t look as tense as he feels.

          “It’s fine. It’s been a while, I’m over it now.”

          “Well, you were ready to marry her, it’s not something you get over so easily.”

          _Fucking drop it_ , Mingyu thinks, cursing his old friend’s lack of tact.

          “Mingyu, I know what I want. Sorry for interrupting your conversation, but I’m getting hungry.”

          It’s ironic how someone who has just met him is better at reading his emotions as someone who had been by his side for years.

          Nick wasn’t with the Mingyu from back then, though. He’s different from the one back then, that’s for sure.

          “Don’t apologize, it’s my fault for starting a conversation when I was the one who brought you here.”

          “It’s fine. Are you?”

          Nick can’t understand them, but Mingyu feels like he already said too much. No matter how comfortable he is with Wonwoo, their friendship is new and he shouldn’t start talking about all his problems.

          “Yeah, I am. My wallet can’t relate,” he jokes, smile growing at Nick’s lost expression.

          “It will, I’ll just pay.”

          “No, that’s not what I wanted to say, it was a joke,” Mingyu hurries to take his words back, embarrassed and cheeks burning. “I don’t need you to pay.”

          “I want to, it’s fine,” Wonwoo stops him, hands already fishing his wallet in his back pocket.

          “You’re my guest, Wonwoo, it would be rude to let you pay.”

          “Fuck off, Mingyu.” Wonwoo’s smug grin is attractive, but it’s not like Mingyu expected something from Jeon Wonwoo to be anything but insanely hot (or cute). “You paid for the museum and the book, I’m paying for the ice cream and you can’t stop me.”

          “Watch out or you’ll leave this country with a sugar baby.”

          This is totally the kind of jokes he makes with his friends – the ones who know about his (bi)sexuality – and he crosses his fingers behind his back. If Wonwoo gets offended, he’ll throw the whole friendship away. No one has time for friends who won’t accept you because of the ones your heart wants to love.

          Wonwoo snorts.

          “I came here for the whales and I get a pretty boy out of it? That’s a nice bonus.”

          Mingyu smiles.

          (His mind is a mix of “what the fuck” and a big, fat “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH” with some keyboard smashes. He’s not sure if they’re still joking or if they’re actually _flirting_.)

          “It’s nice how I can say things like this and you’re not making a big deal out of it. Back home, with the media always searching for something to turn into a scandal, it’s impossible.”

          (Okay, so no flirting. Mingyu’s totally not disappointed. He said – thought – it himself, they can’t fall in love.)

          “So, what will it be?”

          Nick ruins the moment and Mingyu is too tired at this point to get even a bit annoyed.

          “Two scoops for me, cookies and cream for the one at the bottom and vanilla for the other.”

          “That’s… oddly specific. Why not the vanilla at the bottom?”

          Mingyu refuses to think about the jokes Doyeon and Junhui would make with that sentence.

          “Because it’s the flavour I prefer, so I want to eat it first.”

          “That makes sense. It’s not like I really care anyway, you do what you want, it was just… precise.”

          An angel flies by – Mingyu loves that expression, it’s a cute way to talk about an awkward silence in the middle of a conversation, but it doesn’t have an English equivalent, which is sad – before Mingyu remembers Nick can’t understand a single word of what Wonwoo just ordered. Okay, his English isn’t so bad and he’s not stupid so it’s impossible he didn’t figure out the ice cream. Well, considering how low was Mingyu’s English class’ level when he left for the city, it wouldn’t be surprising if Nick didn’t even manage to get that part.

          “Cookies and cream with vanilla, he says it’s super important to have vanilla at the top.”

          “And for you?”

          “Two strawberry… no, make that one strawberry and one mint chocolate.”

          Mingyu manages to struggle with a simple ice cream choice, great.

          “Mingyu?”

          “It’s nothing, hyung, I just… it’s dumb, I just can’t choose between two strawberry or half strawberry and half mint chocolate.”

          Wonwoo takes a few seconds to think about it. He doesn’t say anything mean, seeing it as serious since it bothers Mingyu.

          Fuck, being that perfect should be illegal.

          “What’s stopping you from getting three scoops? It’s only a dollar more, it won’t ruin me.”

          “You’re the one paying, I shouldn’t spend more than you.”

          “Honestly, I didn’t think being too polite was a thing before we met. You should work on that attitude.”

          Mingyu would argue. He’s being polite, there’s nothing wrong with that, Wonwoo shouldn’t even be the one paying, he doesn’t love ice cream that much…

          Except he does. He really wants his three scoops and, since Wonwoo’s the one offering…

          “Two strawberry and one mint chocolate. Add some melted milk chocolate and a cherry on top.”

          Wonwoo types something on his phone and shows it to Nick, who takes it and writes something back. Mingyu manages to catch blue and white, a familiar screen.

          “Google Translate?!”

          “I asked him to tell me what you usually take. Get your rainbow sprinkles, Mingyu.”

          Nick couldn’t get the hint to stop asking questions if his life depended on it, but he remembers how he likes his ice cream. The memory is a weird, amazing thing.

          As soon as they get their ice cream, they go outside to sit on the grass.

          “Thanks, Wonwoo,” Mingyu breaks the silence, licking his caramel before taking the top of his ice cream in his mouth to eat the cherry.

          It’s one of these things between Minghao, Junhui and him. Once, Minghao had mentioned something about blowjobs. Junhui had started faking one with his ice cream to try to flirt with him but had been too drunk to do it correctly and ended up sounding like a vacuum. Since that day, the three of them have the habit to eat ice cream in this weird, awkward way.

          Mingyu did it without even thinking about it and now hates his brain. He loves imitating fucking vacuum blowjobs in front of a man who has everything he wants in a partner.

          (Well, if Junhui managed to get Minghao’s dick even after doing it, maybe Mingyu still has a chance with Wonwoo.)

 

Wonwoo’s eyes don’t leave the book Mingyu bought him and, even when he’s licking his ice cream, he keeps it between his arms like he would hug someone (well, how Mingyu imagine he would). It warms Mingyu’s heart to see he appreciates his gift.

          “I’ve only ever heard whales on YouTube, that was different and I think I liked it better than in the videos I watched. Thank you, Mingyu.”

          “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. By the way, a little birdie told me you have a cat, is that right?”

          That’s how Mingyu learns Wonwoo’s eyes only light up at the mention of whales and cats.

          (It makes him look pretty, but Mingyu won’t admit it. Nope, never, not happening.)

          “Yes, a baby boy. His name is Lulu.”

          “Aw, you have a kitten?” Mingyu can perfectly imagine Wonwoo sitting on the floor and cuddling a small, fluffy baby.

          “No, not really… Lulu is more like a teenager, but he will always be my baby.”

          “I used to have a cat. I didn’t buy him, he was a stray and even tried to rip my finger off once, but I couldn’t be mad at him. He was scared and coming back from a fight against another stray. I fed him and he decided that I was worthy enough to be his friend. He always came when I whistled.”

          Mingyu describes his cat – fur kind of a greyish brown with black stripes – and Wonwoo immediately takes his phone out of his pocket to show him some photos of the one waiting for him back in Korea. Mingyu notices how the folder for his pet has more than a thousand pictures and that’s good enough to make him shut up and give up the thought of telling him that he should keep his eyes on the road.

          If he hits something and the car explodes or whatever, he’ll die a happy, confident (panicked) gay and he’s okay with that.

          “Here’s Lulu!”

          “He’s cute,” Mingyu comments, his voice sounding a bit less happy than two seconds before he saw the photo. “He looks like Ti-Min, but my cat was more brown than grey, he lost an ear in a fight and he didn’t look so… traumatized. Seriously, is Lulu okay?”

          “I should be the one asking you about your cat’s health,” Wonwoo snaps, clearly offended by the comment about his baby’s wide eyes – that’s so cute Mingyu has the need to punch a tree and he understands how his cousin can say such weird things on her Twitter when she thinks something or someone his cute. “You keep using the past tense.”

          “Yeah, he died. Someone hurt him and left him bleeding in the snow. Poor boy suffered a lot and I still don’t know who the fuck thought it would be fun to kill an innocent baby.”

          “Good thing you didn’t, I would have sued the asshole.”

          “If I ever find who did it, I’ll make sure to call you so you can do so.”

          At that moment, Mingyu is glad Wonwoo isn’t the one driving because, judging by his shaking hands – oh God he loves cats so much thinking about one getting killed makes him so angry and that’s super cute – and his expression, they would probably be in the woods and Mingyu would have to buy a new car (or a new leg).

          “Hey, you’re okay?” he asks when Wonwoo doesn’t say anything for too long for it to be normal. “I didn’t know it would make you so upset, I’m sorry.”

          “Don’t apologize, I just… I just hate how some people can be so cruel. Killing a poor baby who did nothing wrong, what the fuck.”

          Wonwoo clenches his fists and life hates Mingyu so much it gives him sweater paws. Wonwoo now looks both soft and ready to punch a bear, which happens to be exactly Mingyu’s type (Roxy, his ex, was like that, but he shouldn’t think about his ex-girlfriend, especially not when he’s in his car with an attractive guy that may be attracted to him).

          “I’m babysitting another cat, maybe we could… go there. I have the key.”

          “Really?” Wonwoo loses his dark expression and shows him a smile, teeth and all. “Ah, I wouldn’t want to be a bother… what if its masters get mad at you?”

          “I’ve brought half the village there, they know and they’re more than okay with that. It’s just you and me, we won’t do anything bad. I wouldn’t have offered you to come with me if I knew I’d get in trouble for it.”

          “I hope you won’t get offended, but you seem like you would lie to make me feel better.”

          “You looked upset, but not _that_ upset. I’m not risking one of my jobs, if I can call petting a cat a job.”

          “How many jobs do you have?” Wonwoo asks before the other part of Mingyu’s sentence makes him forget about his question. “Wait, you’re getting paid for petting a cat? Are you serious?”

          “Uh, yes. It’s cool, their cat is adorable and it’s well paid – for a job as easy, I mean. Ten dollars a day isn’t enough to pay the rent, but I save it to buy things like gifts for my friends, books and games.”

          Phone in his hands, Wonwoo types on the screen – he’s only pretending, Mingyu doesn’t want to let his eyes leave the road for too long, but he can see the screen is still black – and holds it against his ear.

          “Hello, Soonyoung?” He’s still in English, which confirms he’s joking, Seungkwan having mentioned once that his other friend from overseas still had trouble understanding English when it wasn’t written (and phone conversations don’t come with subtitles). “I’d like to sell my company. I’m leaving Korea to feed cats and pet them. Have fun!”

          “Even for me, that was a terrible joke.”

          Mingyu’s laugh doesn’t leave much credibility to his statement, though.

          “Is it okay if we stop at my house?”

          “Of course! I can wait to see the cat, it’s not like the baby will run away.”

          Sounds like something she would do, but Mingyu doesn’t say it.

          “I want to get some fresh water for the cat, the masters only left water in some buckets and it’s now warm and full of insects” he says instead.

          Wonwoo would get worried and does he need that? Nope. The cat only went missing for three days once, it’s not that big of a deal.

          (Mingyu cried for two of these days and when she came back, he bought her the best cat food he could find at the supermarket and stayed with her for an hour, petting her and making sure she knew she had a place in his big heart.)

          “We’re stopping at your house. I’m not taking no as an answer.”

          Cute.

          “Never thought you would. Here,” he hands him his phone, not trusting himself with the road and a phone call (God knows how these make him nervous), “call the contact named ‘H’ or something like that. I forgot my keys and I need to know if someone is there. My mother is the only one who knows English, but just tell me if someone answers.”

          Mingyu expects to have to face his sister, coming back home after yet another fight with her friends, and maybe his youngest brother too.

          Wonwoo hands him his phone back after a short conversation in English.

          “Your mother answered, she said that everyone was there and that I can go with you if I want.”

          “Oh, we’ll go eat somewhere else. I usually eat with the cat,” Mingyu lies. “We won’t have time to eat with my family anyway, they’ll be done when we’ll be back.”

          Well, with his luck, he should have seen it coming.

 

There’s this thing with Mingyu’s family. They’re always weird, but when they meet new people, they get even weirder.

          Especially when they’re Mingyu’s friend. If Wonwoo doesn’t run away after stepping in the house, he’ll take it as a victory. If he does… Mingyu can’t blame him.

          “They’ll get annoying if I don’t bring you with me, so we’re going inside, saying hi and all that stuff, taking the water and running the shit out of here, ‘kay? I don’t need them to start telling you all the stupid things I did as a kid.”

          If he’s being honest, that’s not the most embarrassing thing they could do. What would be worse would be his father saying something rude and making Wonwoo uncomfortable, but he tends to have a better attitude with people who aren’t his wife or his children, so it should be okay.

          Mingyu gets out of the car and opens the door for Wonwoo because he’s polite and that’s what friends do for each other.

          “Hi, it’s me,” he announces once they’re both in the house, Wonwoo closing the door behind them. “We need water for the cat.”

          “Mingyu, you made a new friend?” Minseo asks and he doesn’t like how surprised she sounds.

          _Please don’t._

          “OMG, that’s like, super cool! He’s the first friend you made since high school, I’m so proud of you!”

          _Oh for fuck sake._

          “Sorry, Minseo, we’re in a hurry. Go back to your Musically or whatever it’s called now.”

          Minseo goes red – serves her right for trying to embarrass him and doing an amazing job at it – and one of the twins, the one who doesn’t like his sister that much, raises a hand for a high-five. Mingyu stares at it until it goes back down.

          “I’m not a baby anymore, I don’t care about that app!”

          “Weren’t you the one saying it was the coolest thing ever and crying because your so-called friend had more followers than you?”

          “That’s fine and all, but we only want water for the cat…” Mingyu tries, wanting to leave before his siblings start a fight.

          “That was four years ago, I’m almost an adult now!”

          “Minseo, that’s enough. Lu, stop teasing your sister.”

          Mingyu lets his mother deal with the siblings and decides to take the water himself, realizing they’ll probably be there all night if he waits for someone to hand it to him.

          “Wonwoo, my family. My family, Wonwoo.”

          “He likes baseball, right?” Lu’s twin asks, leaving his book for what will be the first and last time of the night. “He looks like someone who likes baseball.”

          “No brother of mine would befriend someone who doesn’t like baseball.” Lu throws a broccoli at his sister and Mingyu will jump out the window if he can’t use the door.

          “Wonwoo hates baseball,” he says, just because. “Bye.”

          He pushes Wonwoo outside and the only reason why he doesn’t slam the door shut is because he doesn’t want his mother to open it just to yell at him to close it properly.

          “What happened? I couldn’t understand anything.”

          His father kept his mouth shut, his siblings didn’t fight that much, Wonwoo didn’t understand what Minseo was saying, it went well.

          “Nothing you need or want to know. Let’s go before my mom forces us to bring one of the kids with us.”

          Mingyu hears the door and runs to the car.

 

They buy sandwiches before leaving the village again. The trip only takes about ten minutes in which Wonwoo has time to eat one of his two sandwiches without even opening his water bottle. Mingyu tries to get him to drink something and gives up when they get in the woods.

          “We have enough water for the cat, you can drink yours.”

          “I’m just making sure we don’t lack any, I’ll drink after the cat.”

_City boy would throw himself under a car if it could save a cat. I should take him to Junhui._

          “You need to meet one of my friends,” he sighs, thinking about all the stray cats the two of them would save as a team. “Minghao would finally have some time to himself.”

          “Why, he likes cats?”

          They start walking. After nearly hitting the cat with his car and dying from a heart attack, Mingyu refuses to take a chance to make an accident happen.

          “Nah, that’s not how I meant it. The friend I want you to meet is Junhui, who loves cats by the way, and Minghao is his boyfriend. You being with Jun would give Hao some free time since he wouldn’t have to follow Junhui everywhere just to make sure he doesn’t try to imitate a turtle and get crushed by a car. Before you ask, yes, it almost happened once.”

          “You have great friends.”

          “I would die for them,” Mingyu replies.

          He’s being honest. He _would_ die for any of them, no matter how annoying they can be.

          “Sounds cheerful. Where’s the baby?”

          The house is big and Mingyu had to stop for a moment when he first saw it, but Wonwoo doesn’t seem to care at all. After what he said, Mingyu really doesn’t want to judge him by his money, but it makes sense to think he already saw bigger houses than this one.

          “Always outside, I love this baby, but cleaning cat poop isn’t one of my favourite activities.”

          As soon as the cat hears his voice, she jumps from the bushes and runs to him. She rubs herself on his leg and starts purring. She’s asking for affection and Mingyu would rather jump off a cliff than not give her what she deserves.

          “Hi baby,” he cooes at her, taking her in his arms like he used to take his siblings when they were still babies. “Sorry for leaving you alone for so long. Did you have fun?”

          “It’s a black cat,” Wonwoo sounds fascinated. “When I got my first cat, I was in an apartment for college and I wanted a black one. My roommate didn’t let me get one.”

          “That’s sad. I don’t get why people hate black cats, they’re as sweet and cute as any other cat.”

          “Can I touch him? What’s his name?”

          “She’s a girl and… to be honest, I don’t remember her name. Mine used to be a boy named Ti-Min, by the way. Really cute name, I have a cat plushie named after him. But for her, I forgot and it’s been a year since I’ve started babysitting her, it would be too awkward to ask her masters.”

          “That’s why you call her baby,” Wonwoo understands, nodding. “I thought you were just being sweet.”

          “She is my baby!” Mingyu protests, hugging her closer to his chest. “My sister wanted to call her Panthera, which made Lu want to choose Wakanda because of the Black Panther movie. I didn’t want to have to deal with a fight so I decided to just call her my baby.”

          “Understandable. Do you want me to find a name?”

          “Hey, we barely know each other, I am not letting you choose a name for my cat!”

          “Technically, she’s not yours.”

          Mingyu quickly covers his baby’s ears with his hands.

          “Wonwoo, you went too far with this one! How dare you say something like that in front of the child?”

          Said child twists her body until he lets her back on the earth, which reminds him of something.

          “Oh, we also have strawberries here if you want to have some. They won’t be edible when her masters will be back, might as well eat them now.”

          “I’d rather pet the cat.”

          “Go on. She used to be aggressive, but she calmed herself after a car ran over her tail and ripped off half of it.”

          “I’m not hungry anymore,” Wonwoo interrupts him before he can add anything.

          Mingyu watches his baby run away when Wonwoo tries to pet her.

          What the fuck.

          “I don’t get it, she usually likes everyone… Baby! Baby, come back here! I’m sorry, don’t be hurt, she was like that with me too…”

          Wonwoo tries again without much success. The cat is one of the most stubborn beings Mingyu has ever seen, they could be there all night if he doesn’t stop him.

          “Hyung,” he calls softly. “Let’s go inside for a moment. I’m sure she’ll come running to us to get cuddles when we’ll get out.”

          Mingyu uses his guide voice as he gives Wonwoo a tour of the house. They go upstairs and the other stares at the weird… balcony. It’s not the right word, but there isn’t one for this thing.

          “It looks like they planned to add a balcony and forgot about it.”

          “Open these doors and you’ll be on the roof, yay. My theory is that it’s for winter, because of the snow and all. Since the roof isn’t inclined, the snow won’t fall and it could get too heavy. I guess the doors are there so they can take care of it.”

          Wonwoo nods.

          “You’re probably right, that makes sense. You get a lot of snow, am I right?”

          Winter and the temperature seem to be subjects that tourists absolutely _need_ to mention at least once before leaving. As a guide, Mingyu already has an answer ready to be given:

          “Enough to have roads like the one with snow walls in Mario Kart. I’m not exaggerating, it really happened last year.”

          “Please don’t let Seungkwan tell Soonyoung about this or I’ll lose my best friend.”

          “My lips are sealed.” Seeing Baby run around outside distracts him from their conversation. “I miss the other cats, they were cute.”

          “Other cats?” Wonwoo repeats. “Were?!”

          “Yes, they were four. The oldest wanted hugs, he was our favourite, but he died a few months ago. A nice death though, not like Ti-Min. He was old and just died, it was peaceful. Baby’s brother left one day, the masters moved into this house and he didn’t like it. He’s probably at the old one.”

          Or dead, but he won’t say it. Wonwoo is smart anyway, enough to figure it out on his own.

          “No one misses the mother. She was beautiful, white and orange,” he remembers before grimacing. “And aggressive as hell. She scratched me and made me bleed one day, not funny. The masters had to leave with her two cubs for a week and left her at a friend’s house. When they came back, she didn’t remember who the kittens were, so she hates – hated – them as much as everyone.”

          “Let me guess, you don’t remember any of their names.”

          Wonwoo is right. Mingyu’s memory accepts every useless thing, but throws names out the window as soon as they got in. He often wonders how he managed to learn Korean on his own with a memory like his.

          “Nope. I can tell you the older one had a name related to his fur, no more. Sorry.”

          They go down in the basement. Mingyu lied: he doesn’t like cleaning cat poop, but the real reason why he keeps Baby outside is because the stairs are too short for him to be comfortable. He doesn’t have any railing to grip if he slips and that scares him. With shaky legs, he takes the lead.

          He trips, falls, slams his head against the cement and dies.

          (Kidding.)

          His first thought is “cool, I’ll finally see if it’s true that we see our life flashing before our eyes” as he falls. Not useful at all.

          Wonwoo’s faster than his brain and gets a grip on his shirt, yanking him towards his body.

          “Oh how the tables have turned.”

          Wonwoo’s husky voice with his lips so close Mingyu feels his breath on his ear and his arms around him would make his knees week if they weren’t already.

          He’s a horny young man, but a horny young man with an extreme fear of heights.  His hormones will have to wait.

          “What if we skipped the basement,” Wonwoo suggests, not moving from their awkwardly intimate position.

          “Sounds like the best idea I’ve ever heard.”

          Mingyu gulps, blushing at how loud he is. That’s so cliché, exactly the kind of things Doyeon would write in her stories.

          Then, Wonwoo trips too and they almost fall. How romantic.

          “We’re getting the fuck out of here before I get a heart attack.”

          Like he said, Baby stops running away when they come back. Mingyu lets Wonwoo give her food and water and she warms up to him.

          “I was joking.”

          “Uh?”

          “About the name thing, you can give her one if you want to. It’s not like I have an idea and calling her my baby is more of a nickname.”

          He can hear Wonwoo thinking and when he suggests Lili – with two I and not a Y, he specifies – as her new name, Mingyu guesses it was about Lulu. The name and the reason behind it are so cute he can’t not accept it

          “Good one, I like it.”

          He leaves them alone. Watching Wonwoo taking care of Lili is adorable, but he needs to eat something or he’ll faint.

 

Feet buried under the sand, Mingyu eats slowly. Once they’ll be done, they’ll leave and he doesn’t want this day to end.

         “It must be nice to be so close to the sea.”

         “We’re not as close to the sea, but when it’s windy, I can hear it. My grandmother’s house is even closer than this one, she sees whales almost everyday.”

         Wonwoo groans and lets himself fall back on the sand. Mingyu hates having sand in his hair, so he stays still.

         “You’re so lucky, I can’t believe my dream is to see whales and it’s something that happens so often here you don’t really care about it anymore.”

         Mingyu doesn’t know what to say at that. He takes a bite and chews, trying not to look like the hamster Joshua and Doyeon say he is when he eats. He catches Wonwoo staring at him.

         “What?”

         “Nothing, your cheeks are just… when you eat, you have these pouty lips, it’s… Soonyoung eats like that.”

         Mingyu’s being compared to the best friend. Yay.

         Wonwoo turns on his stomach, elbows in the sand and chin resting in his palm.

         “You had a lot of questions for me in the car, it’s only fair to let me ask you some too.”

         The youngest shrugs and swallows what’s left of his first sandwich, taking the second one out of the plastic envelope.

         “I’m boring, there isn’t much to know about me.”

         “We’ll see about that. Favourite colour?”

         “Red. I don’t care if it’s dark, flashy or anything, as long as it’s red, it’s my favourite colour.”

         “Favourite… fruit?”

         “I can’t choose one… I’d say strawberries, apples and grapes.”

         Wonwoo keeps asking questions that can be answered with a few words, nothing too personal, until things get serious.

         “Your best friend?”

         “Again, I can’t choose one, I like them all… okay, maybe Minghao, but it doesn’t mean I don’t like the others.”

         “Of course not, Mingyu. Can you tell me more about university?”

         “Uh, I draw? I don’t know what I want to be yet. I have drawing and art classes, but my parents say I don’t have a future in that so I also take science… I’m not interested. Thinking about what I’ll be later kind of scares me, I’m so lost. The only thing I’m really interested in is one I can’t choose as a job.”

         “I could easily find you a job in arts,” Wonwoo argues.

         He doesn’t get it.

         “Yes, I know, but I just… I’m not that talented, I guess. It’s fine, I’m not starving or dying somewhere so I shouldn’t complain. Doyeon knows what she wants to be since forever and I’m sure she’ll be an amazing writer. She has a lot of experience, her stories are always interesting and I love them all.”

         Wonwoo listens without a word, blinking and nodding to make sure Mingyu knows he’s paying attention to him.

         “Nayoung and Jieqiong will either become models or get a job in cheerleading. We’re in the cheer team together, they have a lot of talent. They could also be choreographers… I doubt there’s something they could _not_ be, if I’m being honest. Both of them are hard working, if they decide to do something, nothing will stop them.”

         “How about your family? They seemed nice, a bit too energetic for me, but I think it suits you.”

         _Here we go_. If Mingyu could choose, he wouldn’t spend as much time with his family as he is. That’s the problem, he can’t choose. The choice isn’t his to make, it never was.

         “We’re not close. I have five siblings and I’m more independent than the others, my parents had to take care of them more than me. That’s how they got close, I guess.”

         “I can’t imagine not being close to my parents or my little brother,” Wonwoo confesses. “I hope your relationship with your family will change, in a good way of course.”

         Mingyu finishes his sandwich, a way to get some time to find the words and stopping himself from crying. He’s a big baby, Wonwoo is talking about something he gets easily sensitive about and he’s tired. These things don’t work well together.

         “Doyeon is like the sister, the twin I’ve never had, but always wanted. We don’t need to talk to know how the other feel and what would make them smile if they’re crying. We can talk about anything without getting uncomfortable, it’s great. She never judges me and I never judge her.”

         “We all need someone like that. I’m glad you have such a good friend.”

         “For the others, I’ve spent my childhood with all of them except Minghao yet he’s the one who’s the closest to the relationship I have with Doyeon. With him, it’s more like mutual teasing and fighting everyone who dares say something negative about the other. He’s not as good as Doyeon when I’m upset, but he does his best and I can see he cares.”

         “You said you were the second oldest and Seungkwan told me about your older brother, how is he?”

         Mingyu wants to cry. Wonwoo suddenly can’t read him and understand that he should stop, that Mingyu can’t take it anymore. It’s awkward, Mingyu’s hot and not in a good way, his hands are sweaty and he’s really uncomfortable.

         “He’s like the others, we’re not close. Nayoung kind of took his place, she used to babysit me when we were kids. She wasn’t that older than me, but her father was working with my mother and she needed money to buy dolls or something, so he asked my mom if she could ask Nayoung to babysit me. Her face makes her look cold and too serious, but she’s not, I promise. She’s also super cute, with her baby cheeks.”

         “Mingyu, you need to breathe.”

         He knows. He just can’t do it correctly, he’s hyperventilating.

         “Mingyu, breathe with me.”

         Wonwoo takes his hand and puts it on his chest. He brings Mingyu closer to him, head on his shoulder, and despite being taller, Mingyu feels small.

         “I’m sorry. In, out, slowly. You can do it, Mingyu, it’s okay. In, out. You’re doing great.”

         The oldest keeps praising him and telling him when he should inhale or exhale. It takes longer than when one of his friends is with him, but Mingyu starts breathing normally.

         “Sorry.”

         “Don’t apologize.”

         For the first time since they left the village, there’s an uncomfortable, awkward silence.

         “Tell me more about Nayoung.”

         Mingyu blinks. That’s not what Wonwoo means. The message is clear:

_I know you’ll talk about someone else if I ask you something personal. It’s okay, I don’t mind._

         It’s unfair. Mingyu can escape the question time, but Wonwoo didn’t.

         But for once, he allows himself to be selfish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before i forget: no, mingyu's not being selfish. if something makes you uncomfortable, you have the right to NOT do it, it doesn't make you selfish, so don't feel bad for taking care of your mental health ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)
> 
> yes, the "ice cream blowjob" thing is something that happened in real life (￣ー￣；
> 
> (according to one of my friends, it sounds like something junhui would do... i can't even say she's wrong)
> 
> thanks to said friend and 94_lyz on twitter for reading this chapter before i post it (and thank you for beta-ing your muffin child's fanfic uwu)!!
> 
> lili's name comes from lulu, wonwoo's favourite cat from a youtube channel, and lily, my beta for another story and one of my good friends! idk if she's reading this, but... hi lily! i love you (๑♡3♡๑)

**Author's Note:**

> please leave a comment so i don't feel like a failure (・∀・｀；)


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